• Andhra Pradesh High Court orders DRDO to scrutinise low defence bids.
• Court holds cheapest quote cannot be cleared automatically with doubts about bidder's capacity.
• DRDO must conduct pre-award scrutiny for abnormally low bids.
• Bid may be thrown out if bidder cannot establish capability.

This ruling may indicate a shift in Indian defence procurement towards greater scrutiny of unusually low bids, which could impact the competitive landscape for defence contractors. The court's emphasis on verifying execution capability suggests that the Indian government may be taking a more cautious approach to defence spending, which could lead to more rigorous evaluation of bids.