MPHC Dismisses Plea Challenging SBI’s Tender To Engage Caretaker Services For ATMs In MP And CG [Read Order]

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the tender floated by the State Bank of India for the caretaker services for the ATM sites in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The tender was released on 17.1.2017.

The argument of the petitioners was the caretaker services are in fact, assignment of job of security guards while as per the present tender conditions, the charges for engaging the services of security guards are being paid as meant for personnel for sweeping and cleaning.

Also it was argued that under the guise of sweeping and cleaning charges, the security guards are being engaged at lesser charges so as to deprive the petitioners, who were engaged as security guard earlier.

A division bench of Chief Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Vijay Kumar Shukla said “Since the job profile of the provider of caretaker services is of cleanliness of ATMs, therefore, the condition that they will be paid wages as meant for sweeping and cleaning job cannot be said to be illegal or arbitrary.”

Read the Order Here