Bombay High Court Issues Notice On Plea Seeking CBI Probe Into Reliance's Alleged $1.55 Billion Gas Theft From ONGC

The Bombay High Court has issued notice on a petition seeking CBI probe against Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its directors, Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani for allegedly stealing over USD 1.55 billion worth of natural gas from neighbouring Oil and Natural Gas Corporations (ONGC) wells in the Krishna Godavari Basin, off the coast of Andhra Pradesh.

The petition was filed by Jitendra P Maru, an Indian citizen, urging the court to direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Union of India to take action.

A bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Ranjitsinha Raja Bhonsale in its order on November 4  issued notices to CBI and Union of India and the plea will be heard next on 18th November 2025.

According to the petition, RIL allegedly engaged in a “massive organized fraud” from 2004 to 2013-14 by drilling sideways from its contracted deep-sea wells into adjacent ONGC wells in the Krishna Godavari Basin, illegally extracting natural gas. ONGC officials discovered the unauthorized extraction in 2013 and reported it to the Government of India.

RIL claimed the gas was “migratory,” arguing it had the right to extract it. An independent investigation by De Golyer and Macnaghten (D&M) confirmed that RIL had tapped gas from ONGC wells without permission. Subsequently, the A P Shah Committee quantified the stolen gas at over USD 1.55 billion, with accrued interest of USD 174.9 million.

Earlier, RIL had secured an Arbitral Award in its favor in its dispute with ONGC, but the Delhi High Court Division Bench, in its 14th February 2025 order, allowed the Union of India's appeal and set aside the award. The court concluded the award was against public policy and had set aside the order in favour of Reliance.

The petition claims that the alleged conspiracy originated in Mumbai, giving the CBI jurisdiction to investigate. It seeks directions to register a criminal case against RIL and its directors for theft, dishonest misappropriation, and breach of trust.

Maru also seeks the seizure of all relevant documents including contracts, investigative reports, and the A.P. Shah Committee findings and urges the court to ensure formal charges are filed against all known and unknown individuals involved.

For Petitioner: Advocate Rajendra Desai along with Advocate Kumal Bhanage instructed by  Akshay Pawar for Petitioner.

For State: Additional Public Prosecutor  Madhavi H Mhatre 

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