Govt has no role to play in pvt gas sharing row: RNRL

The government has no role to play in a private gas sharing dispute it has with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd, Anil Ambani group company Reliance Natural Resources Ltd (RNRL) told the Supreme Court today.RNRL, in its reply to RIL’s petition that names government as an intervener, said the Mukesh-run company was trying to portray the dispute as one between RNRL and the government rather than one between RIL and RNRL and the government had little role to play in the private dispute.

“The sale of gas is from RIL’s share over which it has complete marketing freedom. RNRL is not concerned with any part of the government’s share of gas,” it stated, adding the impugned Bombay High Court judgement had no fiscal impact on the government and protected its interests.

The High Court ruling in no way undermined the government's power to value the gas, but on the contrary had held that the value which the government was free to put on gas might be different from the price at which RIL sells the same to RNRL, the Anil Ambani group firm submitted.

“...Since the government does not receive any part of the proceeds of the sale of gas by RIL from its share of gas, there is no revenue implication to the government in the present dispute,” RNRL stated in its affidavit.

Alleging that RIL’s special leave petition was “confused, contradictory and self defeating,” the affidavit said that the Mukesh-run firm had been taking different and shifting stands before different fora.

With regard to MoU, RNRL said that RIL had contended before the single judge of the High Court that it was neither aware of the existence of the MoU nor its terms, and later, when exposed, RIL changed its stand saying that gas supply agreement (GSMA) was completely in line with the MoU.