Two of India's biggest corporates led by warring brothers - Mukesh and Anil Ambani - are slugging it out in the Supreme Court over the controversial KG Basin and who has the right to sell the gas produced from it, and at what price.
The plot thickened on Monday with the Government opposing the family agreement to share gas. This has led to Anil Ambani writing to the Prime Minister accusing the Petroleum Ministry of favouring elder brother Mukesh.
Anil's lawyer Ram Jethmalani went public with this allegation in the court.
“I can't argue my case against the Government here. You know what I told the Government. I am saying anything outside the court, I can only tell you the Ministry of Petroluem is under the pocket of Mr (Mukesh) Ambani,” he said.
A letter from the petroleum ministry to the central investigating section of the supreme court, asking for nothing to be done without its own approval, is one of the many letters being used by the junior Ambani camp to press this point.
Mukesh Ambani's lawyer Harish Salve was ready with his response.
‘The SC is concerned by the importance of this case where a family arrangement which was meant to put parity between brothers. Now with changed circumstances everyone is buying the case. Whether this will overwrite sovereign policy is something that the court is concerned about. Mr Jethmalini made an allegation. His allegations are never serious they are meant for the gallery not for the court,” said Salve.
For now, the apex court has postponed the hearing of the case to September 1 but has asked all parties, including the ministries and gas companies involved to present their side on the next hearing.
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