New Delhi, Oct. 31 -- The Supreme Court on Friday appointed its former judge, justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to mediate the high-stakes Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin gas migration dispute between the Centre and a Reliance Industries Limited-led consortium, after being informed that settlement talks between the two sides had failed to yield a viable solution. A bench, comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, requested justice Desai to act as the sole mediator and take the assistance of two domain experts, one each proposed by the parties, to explore an amicable resolution to the long-running dispute over extraction of natural gas with state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). The appointment follows the court's earlier efforts to encourage the parties to explore an out-of-court settlement. The matter had been adjourned on several occasions after the consortium expressed its willingness to approach the Union government for conciliation or mediation. However, attorney general R Venkataramani informed the bench on Friday that the discussions had not succeeded. "Settlements have not come through. There are two courses available: this court can decide the matter on merit or appoint a mediator to explore the possibility of settlement," Venkataramani told the bench. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for RIL, suggested that the court could instead appoint a mediator empowered to seek expert assistance and decide the dispute. Acceding to the joint request, the bench also, favoured mediation, citing Justice Desai's experience in handling complex commercial matters. "We can ask justice Ranjana Prakash Desai to mediate given her expertise in dealing with commercial matters. Personally, I have seen her handling very complex matters of commercial nature," the bench observed. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, also appearing for the consortium, agreed that the mediator should have expert assistance. The bench said justice Desai could appoint two domain experts, as suggested by the parties, to assist her. In its order, the court recorded that both sides had earlier sought to explore an amicable settlement and that the matter had consequently been adjourned from time to time. "We are today informed that parties themselves are unable to find a viable solution. On their behalf, we request former judge of this court, justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to act as the sole mediator," stated the order. The bench left it to justice Desai to determine the schedule for the proceedings, declining to impose a timeline after the attorney general suggested that one be fixed for the parties to make their presentations....