Anil welcomes govt's proposed amendments to gas SLP

Welcoming the amendments proposed by the government to its petition on the Ambani gas row, Anil Ambani today said his group company RNRL's dispute with Mukesh-led RIL was commercial and pertained to the demerger of the Reliance businesses.

Shortly after the government moved an interlocutory application in the Supreme Court saying it was not for declaring the entire Ambani family MoU null and void, Anil told reporters "RNRL is grateful to government of India for its neutral stand in proposing these amendments."

"With the filing of today's application, the role of government in RNRL-RIL matter remains limited only to the interpretation of gas utilisation policy and provisions of the Production Sharing Contract," he said, adding that "this is exactly the same scope of intervention that was permitted to the government by the Bombay High Court."

Anil also welcomed the steps taken to protect the interests of NTPC from "potential losses of up to Rs 30,000 crore and preserving the wider national and public interest".

"RNRL-RIL gas matter is a purely commercial dispute between two corporate entities, concerning the implementation of the scheme of reorganisation of RIL's businesses in 2005, as approved by its board... Over 20 lakh shareholders and... by the Bombay High Court," he said.

The government, however, also sought a direction to set aside the High Court order on RIL-RNRL matter relating to the interpretation of its gas utilisation policy and provisions of the Production Sharing Contract.