Supreme Court Appoints Former Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai as Mediator in Krishna Godavari (KG)-Basin Gas Dispute

On October 30, 2026, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court—Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi—appointed former Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as the sole mediator to resolve the gas-migration dispute in the Krishna-Godavari basin. Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Union Government, pledged full cooperation.

SC appoints ex-judge Ranjana Desai as mediator in Reliance gas dispute

The dispute stems from a 2000 Production Sharing Contract (PSC) between the Union Government and a consortium led by Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), with BP Exploration (Alpha) Ltd (30 %) and Niko (NECO) Ltd (10 %). Commercial production from KG-D6 began in April 2009. In 2013, ONGC alleged that the consortium extracted gas migrating from ONGC’s adjoining offshore blocks, resulting in “unjust enrichment.”

The Indian Express

• 2000 – PSC signed.

Supreme Court Appoints Former Justice Ranjana Desai As Mediator In Reliance KG Basin Dispute

• April 2009 – Commercial production starts.

The Indian Express

• 2013 – ONGC raises allegation of migrated gas extraction.

SC hears Reliance's appeals in $1.73 billion ONGC gas dispute

• Nov 2015 – Technical study (DeGolyer & MacNaughton) reports reservoir connectivity.

Supreme Court Appoints Former Justice Ranjana Desai As Mediator In Reliance KG Basin Dispute

• 2016 – Government issues demand of roughly $1.55 billion plus interest.

SC appoints former judge Ranjana Prakash Desai as sole mediator in KG basin dispute

• July 2018 – Arbitral tribunal rules 2-1 for RIL, awarding $8.3 million to partners.

The Indian Express

• May 2024 – Delhi High Court upholds award.

The Indian Express

• Feb 14 2025 – Division bench sets aside award, citing illegality and public-policy concerns.

The Indian Express

• May 20 2026 – Supreme Court declines to pause hearing despite RIL’s mediation request.

The Indian Express

• Oct 30 2026 – Justice Desai appointed mediator.

Hindustan Times

• Government claim (2016): ? $1.55 billion plus interest.

SC hears Reliance's appeals in $1.73 billion ONGC gas dispute

• Later notices cite $1.5 billion, $1.73 billion, and $2.81 billion.

SC hears Reliance's appeals in $1.73 billion ONGC gas dispute

• Arbitration award (2018): $8.3 million to the three partners.

SC hears Reliance's appeals in $1.73 billion ONGC gas dispute

• Attorney General R Venkataramani said the government will cooperate fully with the mediator.

SC appoints ex-judge Ranjana Desai as mediator in Reliance gas dispute

• Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi supported appointing a mediator with expert assistance.

Hindustan Times

• “Settlements have not come through. There are two courses available: this court can decide the matter on merit or appoint a mediator to explore the possibility of settlement,” — Venkataramani

Hindustan Times

• Monetary claims vary: $1.5 billion, $1.55 billion, $1.73 billion, and $2.81 billion across different sources.

SC hears Reliance's appeals in $1.73 billion ONGC gas dispute

• Interest amounts are sometimes listed as $174 million and sometimes omitted.

SC appoints former judge Ranjana Prakash Desai as sole mediator in KG basin dispute

• The arbitration award is consistently noted as set aside, though the precise legal reasoning differs among reports.

SC hears Reliance's appeals in $1.73 billion ONGC gas dispute

The mediation marks a shift from litigation to negotiation in a dispute involving billions of dollars and the interpretation of India’s PSC framework. A settlement could clarify the legal treatment of gas migration in offshore reservoirs and influence future resource-sharing conflicts.

Supreme Court Appoints Former Justice Ranjana Desai As Mediator In Reliance KG Basin Dispute

Justice Desai will schedule mediation sessions promptly, with parties expected to contact her within days. The bench will review progress after four weeks, though no fixed settlement deadline has been set.

Hindustan Times