Mukesh Ambani-led RIL and Anil Ambani's RNRL are locked in a dispute over the terms of the gas supply master agreement, whereby RIL is to supply gas for RNRL's power projects. Earlier, the division bench of Justices J N Patel and K K Tated had said it would like to finish the hearing before Diwali, so that the judgment could be written during the vacation. But now, with the government's entry into the litigation, the hearing may not get over before the Diwali vacation.
Additional solicitor general Mohan Parasaran talks about the logic behind withdrawing the government affidavit in the RIL-RNRL gas dispute in the Bombay high court.
However, no formal confirmation of the meeting and the issues discussed could be obtained from either group.
A new Bench will be constituted on Thursday to hear the high-voltage case between Mukesh Amabani's RIL and Anil Ambani's RNRL relating to pricing of gas from K G Basin.
Mukesh Ambani-led RIL and Anil Ambani group firm RNRL on Thursday urged Justice R V Raveendran to ignore news reports on his presence on the Bench despite having shares of the two warring companies.
The tussle between Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries and his brother Anil's Reliance Natural Resources over gas supply came to the fore in Bombay High Court on Thursday with RIL alleging that RNRL wanted to trade the fuel.
In what could seal the fortunes of the gas and power businesses of the two Ambani brothers, the Supreme Court is to deliver a judgment tomorrow on the bitterly fought dispute over gas from the Krishna-Godavari basin's D6 block.
The interlocutory application filed on Tuesday made it clear that $4.20 per mmBtu price approved by the government for RIL's KG-D6 gas was without prejudice to the state-run firm's case seeking the fuel from the Mukesh Ambani-run company at $2.34 per mmBtu price committed in 2004.
The crux of the ongoing court case between Reliance Industries (RIL) and Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL) on Monday was pricing of the gas produced from the Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin.
The Ambani brothers are not yet ready to bury the hatchet. Legal counsels of both the parties say they are ready to fight it out in the court next week. The case is scheduled to come up for hearing on 12 January.
In the short run, ONGC and OIL should both reap a bonanza given the government hike.
Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday said the Supreme Court upholding the government's right to approve price and utilisation of gas was a "fair decision" and it had no bearing on the gas supply dispute between NTPC and Reliance Industries.
RNRL is seeking 28 million cubic meter of gas a day or more than one-third of peak output from RIL's eastern offshore KG-D6 fields at a price set in a 2005 family agreement.
The Bombay high court has modified the interim order on the sale of KG basin gas by Reliance Industries.
Petroleum secretary RS Pandey declined to comment on the court verdict till the Government received a copy of the order. The Bombay high court on Monday upheld Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Natural Resources Ltd's contention to buy 28 mscmd of gas from Reliance Industries Ltd at USD 2.34 per mmBtu for 17 years.
Lawyer T S Doabia told the court the government's approval was necessary for the rate at which RIL sells the gas to other private parties. The division bench of Justices J N Patel and K K Tated pointed out that, according to RNRL, the government stated in Parliament it would not be fixing the gas price, except for its own share. When told this was not contrary to what Doabia was saying, the court asked him to file an affidavit, clarifying the government's position.
NTPC, India's largest thermal power operator, said it will stay away from the ongoing Reliance Industries and Reliance Natural Resources case in the Bombay high court over the supply of KG Basin gas.
Last week, RIL moved the apex court challenging the Bombay high court order that asked it to supply 28 mmscmd of gas to RNRL at $2.34 per mmbtu.
ADAG Chairman Anil Ambani on Friday said his group had no immediate plans to seek review of the Supreme Court verdict that rejected cheap gas to group firm RNRL from Mukesh Ambani-led RIL.
Had the government intervened at the right time, the controversy over an MoU that provides for dividing a national resource, would not have arisen, he said.
'While renegotiating the deal, it is likely that Anil Ambani could ask for a huge compensation from RIL to satisfy the ADAG firms' shareholders, a broker closer to the Ambanis said.
The division bench of Justices J N Patel and K K Tated would continue to hear the case, though Justice Tated was transferred to Aurangabad bench of the High Court last week, high court sources said. The case is likely to come up for hearing on January 12, RIL lawyers said.
RNRL and Mukesh Ambani's RIL are fighting a legal battle over the terms of gas supply agreement for Anil Ambani Group's gas-based Dadri power project. Two weeks ago, government lawyer Mohan Parasaran had stated in the court that the Empowered Group of Ministers had decided that $4.2 per mmbtu would be the minimum price of KG basin gas.
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