SC names Justice Ranjana Desai Mediator In RIL Gas Dispute

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday appointed its former judge, Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, as sole mediator in the Krishna-Godavari basin gas migration dispute involving Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), its partners and the Centre.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi passed the order after being informed that the parties had failed to find a viable solution to the dispute.

“The parties themselves have not been able to find a viable solution. We suggest, on their behalf, that former judge of this court Ranjana Prakash Desai be requested to act as mediator,” the bench said.

The court also requested Justice Desai to seek the assistance of two domain experts suggested by the parties.

Justice Desai's appointment as mediator in the high-value dispute involving the Centre and the Reliance-BP-Niko consortium coincided with her 77th birthday.

Attorney General R. Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, assured the court of full cooperation with the mediation process.

The apex court directed the parties to contact Justice Desai by Saturday to fix a date and time for mediation.

On May 20, the Supreme Court had declined RIL's request to defer the hearing after the company and its two foreign partners sought mediation or conciliation with the Centre to resolve the dispute amicably.

The court was hearing appeals filed by RIL, BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd and Niko (NECO) Ltd against a Delhi High Court verdict setting aside an arbitral award in their favour in the gas migration dispute.

Justice Desai, who retired from the Supreme Court in October 2014, has headed several important panels, including the committee that drafted Uttarakhand's Uniform Civil Code and the Delimitation Commission for Jammu and Kashmir.

She was appointed chairperson of the Press Council of India in 2022 and has also been associated with UCC drafting exercises in other states.