Courtroom Claims, Boardroom Silence – What Is L&T Hiding?

Infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has chosen silence over accountability. Despite making detailed financial claims in the Supreme Court regarding its disqualified bids for two key MMRDA infrastructure projects, the company has failed to respond to a formal letter from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) requesting documentary evidence to back those figures.

An MMRDA had written to L&T on June 10, asking for supporting documents, cost breakdowns, and justification of the bid amounts the company had cited in court. The agency gave them seven working days. The deadline has now passed. No response has been received till today as per the information.

The L&T's silence has triggered concerns over whether the figures presented in court were accurate or simply intended to create pressure on the judiciary and MMRDA.

L&T had earlier claimed before the Supreme Court that it had quoted ₹6,498 crore for the underground tunnel project between Gaimukh and Fountain Hotel Junction, and ₹5,554 crore for the elevated corridor from Fountain Junction to Bhayander. These claims were made during the hearing of its petition challenging disqualification from the two mega tenders. The petition was later "dismissed" as "infructuous" after MMRDA chose to cancel and re-tender both projects, citing public interest.

The expert said the purpose of seeking the same estimates now is to allow the Tender Review Committee-comprising technical IITians and financial experts-to evaluate whether L&T's numbers could serve as valid benchmarks for re-tendering. "MMRDA is not demanding anything new. They are asking for what they placed on the court record," the expert said.

"But when a company refuses to submit documents that it previously used to defend itself in the highest court, it raises serious doubts about the credibility of those figures," he added.

Another observer close to court proceedings pointed out that the company was disqualified not arbitrarily, but for grave lapses-primarily for concealing the Medigadda Barrage collapse in Telangana (verified by IIT Bombay and the Telangana Government), failing to submit mandated documents during the bid process, and submitting a non-responsive bid.

"These are not minor oversights. These are structural and procedural lapses," he said, and added that L&T's refusal to share these details also highlights a larger and troubling pattern. These reasons, the observer said, were upheld by both the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court.

He further stated that the company's decision to withhold documents now strengthens the case that its bid was not only incomplete but potentially misleading.

The observer said they are also alarmed by what they describe as a "pattern of opacity and operational lapses" by the firm across regions. They pointed to a string of safety-related accidents at various L&T project sites across India.

"These aren't isolated incidents," one expert said. "You can trace multiple fatal and near-fatal incidents in the last 18 months alone-from Chennai to Vasai to Hubballi to the Bullet Train project. It raises questions about how seriously L&T takes its project execution and safety obligations."

According to project records and published reports:

• On June 12, 2025, two girders collapsed at a Chennai Metro site, killing one person.
• On June 3, a mudslide at L&T's Hubballi site led to the death of a supervisor.
• On November 6, 2024, three workers died during the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project.

In 2023, over 120 deaths were recorded on the Coimbatore Bypass Road linked to L&T, the expert said, citing local authority data.

"These are not unfortunate accidents; these are serious systemic failures," said the expert from a reputed construction company involved in project safety oversight.

When asked why MMRDA was insisting on L&T submitting the financial estimates, the official said,
"We are awaiting L&T's reply to our letter to them dated 10th June. Once that's received, we intend to verify the information provided and rework the estimates, with the aid of top experts in the field, so as to be aligned with the spirit of transparency and fairness."

Echoing MMRDA's stand, a critic said, "This is taxpayer money. If L&T genuinely submitted the lowest, most efficient bid as they claimed in court, then why hesitate to back that claim with documentation?"

The expert also said the agency is working to establish fair and transparent benchmark costs for the reissued tenders and cannot allow courtroom claims to remain unverifiable. "When the courts considered those numbers, there's every reason for us to do so too. But we need papers, not promises," the expert stated.

Another senior director of the construction company remarked that the silence amounts to more than just non-cooperation. "If a company positions itself as India's most dependable infrastructure contractor, it must also rise to the highest standards of accountability. That's not optional. It's fundamental," he said.

"Now, by refusing to provide documents it has already quoted in the Supreme Court, L&T is undermining its credibility. Courtroom claims are not PR exercises-they are on record. And when those claims involve public projects, transparency is not optional-it is mandatory," the director said.

The observer added, "This isn't just about tendering. It's about truth. It's about whether a private contractor can hijack the narrative in a courtroom, and then dodge public accountability when asked for evidence. This concerns whether our public infrastructure is being awarded based on facts-or favours."

The critic concluded: "If L&T's claims were honest, they would have submitted the documents by now. The fact that they haven't suggests the numbers may not stand up to scrutiny."

As MMRDA prepares to re-invite fresh bids for the ₹12,000 crore projects under the MahaTender process, it has vowed to ensure transparency, competition, and public interest. But unless L&T comes forward with the documents it itself introduced in court, the company's credibility will continue to erode-one unanswered letter at a time.