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Politics The Hindu National Politics • Oct 30, 2026

Supreme Court Appoints Justice Ranjana Desai as Sole Mediator in $1.73 Billion ONGC-RIL KG Basin Gas Dispute

💡 Key Takeaways

•Supreme Court appoints retired Justice Ranjana Desai as sole mediator in the $1.73 billion ONGC-RIL gas dispute.
•Mediator instructed to enlist two domain experts to review subsurface reservoir data in the KG Basin dispute.
•RIL has refuted claims of siphoning gas, maintaining adherence to production sharing contracts.

NEW DELHI [NCRBuzz Wire] — **The Supreme Court of India has appointed former apex court judge Justice Ranjana Desai as the sole mediator to resolve the complex $1.73 billion Krishna-Godavari basin gas migration dispute between state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).** This judicial intervention follows previous bench directives encouraging both corporate entities and the Union Government to explore a negotiated out-of-court settlement under statutory arbitration frameworks.

### Background of the Hydrocarbon Dispute

**The underlying controversy stems from allegations that natural gas migrated from ONGC's contiguous blocks into the adjacent KG-D6 block operated by Reliance Industries Limited.** State-owned ONGC had earlier approached judicial forums claiming financial losses due to the alleged extraction of trapped hydrocarbons that had shifted across subsurface boundaries within the Krishna-Godavari basin, leading to high-stakes appeals involving a $1.73 billion valuation.

### Stakeholder Perspectives and Statutory Positions

**Reliance Industries Limited has categorically refuted the Union Government and ONGC's assertions that RIL siphoned off migrated gas reserves.** RIL maintained that all exploration and extraction activities were conducted strictly in compliance with the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) governed by domestic petroleum and natural gas regulations.

### Mediator Mandate and Next Steps

**The Supreme Court bench has instructed the newly appointed sole mediator, Justice Ranjana Desai, to enlist the technical assistance of two domain experts.** The legal proceedings will focus on reviewing subsurface reservoir data and expert technical reports to determine an equitable resolution pathway while maintaining constitutional neutrality and strict adherence to statutory petroleum norms.

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🏛️ Background Context

The legal dispute over the Krishna-Godavari basin $1.73 billion gas reserves has spanned multiple years, involving complex technical audits of subsurface reservoirs and jurisdictional debates over Production Sharing Contracts between corporate operators and the central government.

💡 Citizen & Commuter Quick Explainer (FAQ)

Q1: What triggered the Supreme Court's intervention in the ONGC-RIL dispute?

The intervention was triggered by prolonged litigation over allegations of natural gas migration from ONGC's blocks into RIL's adjacent KG-D6 block within the Krishna-Godavari basin.

Q2: Who has been appointed as the mediator and what is her mandate?

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Desai has been appointed as the sole mediator, instructed to utilize two domain experts to review subsurface technical data and guide an out-of-court settlement.

Q3: What is Reliance Industries Limited's legal position on the matter?

RIL has categorically refuted allegations of siphoning migrated gas, maintaining that all extraction activities were conducted strictly in compliance with the Production Sharing Contract.

Verified Wires: The Hindu National Politics, Hindustan Times India Politics, Google News India Politics Original Wire Dispatch ↗

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