Bombay HC asks CBI to Examine Petition Alleging Reliance Illegally Drew Gas From ONGC Fields

Key Points:

The Bombay High Court has asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Union government on November 4, 2025, to examine a petition. The petition alleged that Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its chairman, Mukesh Ambani, illegally extracted natural gas from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s (ONGC) fields in the Krishna–Godavari (KG) Basin. The petition seeks a criminal investigation into what it describes as a “massive organised fraud,” claiming the value of the extracted gas exceeds USD 1.55 billion.

The petition was filed by Jitendra P. Maru, who alleges that between 2004 and 2013–14, RIL drilled deep-sea wells in its KG-D6 block in a way that allowed gas from ONGC’s adjoining fields to migrate into its wells. Maru has requested that an FIR be registered for offences including theft, dishonest misappropriation, and criminal breach of trust.

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On November 4, a division bench of Justices A.S. Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale issued notices to the CBI and the Union government, directing them to respond to the petition before November 18, 2025.

Concerns about the issue were first raised by ONGC in 2013, when the company informed the Government of India that the geological continuity of the reservoirs enabled RIL’s drilling operations to draw gas from ONGC’s fields. RIL, however, disputed this interpretation.

Following ONGC’s complaint, an independent body, DeGolyer & MacNaughton (D&M), a petroleum-focused consultancy, did an investigation . Reports indicate that the D&M assessment found gas from ONGC’s fields had indeed migrated into RIL’s production wells, and that RIL extracted this gas without prior approval. A separate inquiry led by former judge A.P. Shah supported these findings, estimating the value of the migrated gas at over USD 1.55 billion and calculating accumulated interest at USD 174.9 million.

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RIL has maintained that the extracted gas was “migratory,” referring to the natural movement of gas across adjacent reservoirs. The company also argues that the matter has already been addressed through civil and arbitral proceedings. An international arbitration tribunal had ruled in RIL’s favour, rejecting the government’s compensation claims. However, in February 2025, the Delhi High Court set aside the arbitral award, holding that it was contrary to India’s public policy.

In addition to seeking the registration of an FIR, the petitioner has urged the Bombay High Court to direct the CBI to seize all contracts, drilling data, government reports, and the findings of both the D&M study and the A.P. Shah committee.

The case is scheduled for hearing on November 18, 2025, when the CBI and the Union government are expected to present their responses. The court’s decision may determine whether the dispute continues as a civil and arbitral dispute to one involving questions of criminal liability in resource-related contracts. [Rh]

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