KG Basin: SC agrees to fresh request by RIL to resolve dispute with Centre

The Supreme Court agreed to Reliance Industries’ request for conciliation with the Centre over the Krishna-Godavari basin gas migration dispute. The hearing was adjourned to July, with the court encouraging amicable settlement between RIL, BP, Niko, and the government

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to a fresh request from Reliance Industries Ltd to resolve the Krishna-Godavari basin gas migration dispute amicably with the Centre.

A bench of Chief Justice of India and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took note of mentioning by senior advocate Kapil Sibal.

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Sibal told the court that a plea for conciliation has been made, after which Attorney General R Venkataramani said the government is willing to consider the request.

The top court agreed to adjourn the hearing to the third week of July after Venkataramani said the government was not averse to exploring the bilateral dispute resolution process.

“We will be most happy if the dispute is resolved through conciliation. If you come out with a settlement, we will dispose of the appeal,” the CJI said.

On May 20, the apex court had declined a submission by Reliance Industries to put the hearing in the Krishna-Godavari basin gas migration dispute on hold for the time being as the company and two other foreign firms sought mediation or conciliation with the Centre for an amicable resolution.

The top court was hearing the appeals of RIL (Reliance Industries Ltd), BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd and Niko (NECO) Ltd against a Delhi High Court verdict that set aside an arbitral award in their favour in the gas migration dispute with the Centre.

The firms assailed the February 14, 2025, order of the high court setting aside an order of the single-judge bench that had upheld the arbitral award in favour of RIL and its two partners for allegedly siphoning gas from deposits they had no right to exploit.