
Wed Jul 16 01:55:38 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the provided text and a news article rewrite:
**Summary:**
The Bombay High Court has stayed a CBI probe into Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) regarding an alleged ₹800 crore scam related to a dredging project at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). The court cited procedural lapses by the CBI, particularly the disclosure of a TCE director’s laptop password, which it deemed a violation of privacy and the IT Act. The court is seeking clarification from the CBI on the source of the complaint and whether the matter was previously reviewed.
**News Article:**
**Bombay High Court Halts CBI Probe into Tata Consulting Engineers over JNPA Dredging Scam**
**Mumbai, July 16, 2025** – The Bombay High Court has issued a stay on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe targeting Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) in connection with an alleged ₹800 crore scam linked to a capital dredging project at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). The order was delivered on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
A Division Bench of Justice A.S. Gadkari and Justice Rajesh Patil, hearing a petition filed by TCE seeking to quash the FIR, cited significant procedural irregularities in the CBI’s investigation. The FIR, filed on June 18, named several individuals and entities, including former JNPA chief manager Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, TCE director Devdutt Bose, and various dredging companies.
The CBI alleges that JNPA made excess payments totaling ₹800 crore to contractors for over-dredging of channels and falsified hydrographic data during Phase I and Phase II of the project. The FIR invokes charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
However, the High Court raised serious concerns regarding the CBI’s handling of the investigation, specifically highlighting the disclosure of TCE director Devdutt Bose’s laptop password in investigation documents. “How can you publish the password of someone? This is contrary to the basis of the IT Act,” the bench stated, suggesting the disclosure could be a violation of privacy and potentially benefit competitors.
Senior Advocate Amit Desai, representing TCE, argued that the company’s role was limited to project consultancy and that it was not involved in contractual or financial decisions. The Court directed the CBI to clarify the source of the complaint and whether the matter had been previously examined by the Attorney General for India or the JNPT Board of Trustees. The case is scheduled for further hearing in two weeks.