A woman-managed MSME may seek relaxation of minimum turnover criteria in tender qualifications, ensuring fair opportunities.

JUDGMENT

The petitioner is the woman entrepreneur managing a MSME unit registered under the Udyam portal under the name “Sandhyas Pooja Products”. The challenge raised in this writ petition is against the condition imposed in clause 7 in Ext.P2 to P7 tender notifications published by the 1^st respondent. According to the petitioner, the clause 7, which contemplates the minimum turnover as a pre-qualification of the tenders, is required to be relaxed for the MSME, managed by the woman entrepreneurs. The petitioner has already submitted a representation as evidenced by Ext.P8, which is now pending before the 1^st respondent. The limited relief sought by the petitioner is to consider the said representation within a time frame.

After hearing the learned counsel for the petitioner and the learned Standing Counsel for the respondents, I am inclined to dispose of this writ petition. Accordingly, it is ordered that, the 1^st respondent shall take up Ext.P8 and appropriate decision thereon shall be taken, in accordance with law, after giving the petitioner an opportunity for being heard, either physically or online mode. The decision shall be taken, within a period of one week from the date of receipt of a copy of this judgment.

Sd/-