The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to a fresh request by Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to explore an amicable settlement with the Centre in the long-running Krishna-Godavari basin gas migration dispute, after the government indicated it was willing to consider conciliation.
A bench comprising the Chief Justice of India and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi took note of submissions by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the companies.
Sibal told the court that a plea for conciliation had been made. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, said the government was willing to consider the request.
The apex court then agreed to adjourn the matter 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.
The development comes days after the Supreme Court, on May 20, declined a submission by Reliance Industries to defer the hearing in the Krishna-Godavari basin gas migration dispute while the company and two foreign firms sought mediation or conciliation with the Centre for an amicable resolution.
The top court is hearing appeals filed by RIL, 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 companies have challenged the Delhi High Court’s February 14, 2025 order, which overturned an earlier decision by a single-judge bench upholding the arbitral award in favour of RIL and its partners in the dispute over allegations that the firms siphoned gas from deposits they had no right to exploit.
(With inputs from PTI)
