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ShareMumbai: In an unexpected move, the Anil Ambani group preempted the anticipated appeal by the Mukesh Ambani camp before the Supreme Court by approaching it first.
Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries is now expected to approach the apex court earlywith its own petition, both challenging the maintainability of RNRL's Supreme Court petition and challenging the high court order of June 15.
RNRL's application, which has already been filed, requests the apex court to direct RIL to enforce the high court order by forcing it to enter into a foolproof gas supply agreement with RNRL.
The move came after RIL categorically told RNRL on Tuesday that it is not interested in negotiations as it was planning to appeal the case in the Supreme Court.
The petitions from the two groups are now likely to be clubbed together under the same case.
It is likely to be heard in the court of the chief justice, according to legal sources, and expected to take anywhere between 3 and 6 months.
Announcing the filing of the petition, RNRL counsel Mukul Rohatgi said it was intended to prevent RIL from intentionally delaying the resolution of the issue any more.
"RIL has already wasted three weeks. It wasted two weeks saying it is studying the order... It is clear that it is refusing to obey the court order," he said, adding that his client was not averse to fighting it out at the third, and final, court of appeal.
The move is likely to save around a week's time for RNRL, which has been fighting to get the gas tangle resolve at the earliest. RIL had time till July 14 to file its appeal petition in the Supreme Court, according to the high court judgement.
The company is already selling gas to a number of customers on the back of an interim order granted by the Bombay High Court five months ago, with the condition that gas may be diverted to RNRL if the court rules in favour of the latter.
