The Supreme Court on Friday appointed its former judge, justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to mediate the high-stakes Krishna-Godavari (KG) basin gas migration dispute between the Centre and a Reliance Industries Limited (RIL)-led consortium, after being informed that settlement talks between the two sides had failed to yield a viable solution.
The matter had been adjourned on several occasions after the consortium expressed its willingness to approach the Union government for conciliation or mediation. “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 told the bench.
The appointment follows the court’s earlier efforts to encourage the parties to explore an out-of-court settlement. However, attorney general R Venkataramani informed the bench on Friday that the discussions had not succeeded.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for RIL, suggested that the court could instead appoint a mediator empowered to seek expert assistance and decide the dispute. On their behalf, we request former judge of this court, justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, to act as the sole mediator,” stated the order. The bench left it to justice Desai to determine the schedule for the proceedings, declining to impose a timeline after the attorney general suggested that one be fixed for the parties to make their presentations. Counsel for both sides and the attorney general assured the court of their assistance. During her tenure, she dealt with a wide range of matters, before subsequently heading several important commissions and committees, including Appellate Tribunal for Electricity and Delimitation Commission of India.
Justice Desai, who retired from the Supreme Court in October 2014, had a judicial career spanning the Bombay High Court and the top court. She was elevated as a judge of the Bombay High Court in 1996 and served as a judge of the Supreme Court from September 2011 until her retirement. A single judge of the Delhi High Court upheld the award in May 2024. However, a division bench reversed that decision on February 14, 2025, setting aside the award on the ground that it was contrary to settled principles of law.
In its order, the court recorded that both sides had earlier sought to explore an amicable settlement and that the matter had consequently been adjourned from time to time. The consortium subsequently challenged the high court’s decision before the Supreme Court. “We are today informed that parties themselves are unable to find a viable solution. The parties were asked to contact Justice Desai during the day or on Saturday to fix a date in accordance with her schedule.
