( 1 ) THE petitioner has filed this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for quashing and setting aside of the impugned decision dated 06. 01. 2004 of the respondent Corporation i. e. Indian Oil Corporation Limited, being unjust, illegal, arbitrary and violative of Articles 14, 19 (1) (g) and 21 of the Constitution of India. The petitioner has also prayed for direction to the respondent Corporation to consider the tender of the petitioner Company before finalisation of the contract with any other party and if the offer of the petitioner Company is found to be the lowest, to accept the same. The petitioner has also prayed for interim relief seeking stay against the execution, implementation and operation of the impugned decision dated 06. 01. 2004 and against further process of finalisation of the contract in respect of the treatment of the water cooling tower.

( 2 ) THE factual profile emerging from the petition is that the respondent Corporation published notice inviting Tenders for their various requirements on 06. 11. 2003 and one of the items for which the offers were invited was chemical treatment of cooling water for a period of two yea