HC rejects plea for FIR against reliance in KG basin gas row
MUMBAI, March 28 -- The Bombay High Court on Friday dismissed a petition seeking registration of a first information report (FIR) and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe against Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani over alleged illegal extraction of gas from wells belonging to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) in the Krishna Godavari (KG) basin off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.
The petition was filed by Jitendra Maru with "a tainted motive" and it represented "an abuse of the process of the court", a division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Suman Shyam said.
"A petition like this causes serious harm to the reputation and business prospects of any corporate entity.threatening a present or future business partnership," the judges said, dismissing Maru's plea.
According to the petition, under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP), the central government had permitted RIL to explore the Krishna Godavari basin and produce hydrocarbons from the D6 block. But RIL started tapping gas from ONGC's adjacent oil wells through sideways drilling.
The dispute moved into arbitration, with the tribunal ruling in favour of RIL in 2018. The central government challenged the award before the Delhi high court, which upheld the award in May 2023. But another high court bench set aside the ruling in February 2025.
Amid the proceedings, Maru approached the CBI, seeking registration of an FIR for alleged theft and conspiracy. He moved the high court after the agency closed the complaint in September 2025, saying the allegations appeared to be a civil dispute.
RIL contested the plea, arguing that it was "misconceived, devoid of any merit, not maintainable and liable to be dismissed"....
इस लेख के रीप्रिंट को खरीदने या इस प्रकाशन का पूरा फ़ीड प्राप्त करने के लिए, कृपया
हमे संपर्क करें.