CBI investigation possible on Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance: Allegation of gas theft worth ₹13,700 crore from ONGC pipeline; The company had said – the gas came on its own

The case pertains to alleged gas theft in the Krishna Godavari basin off the coast of Andhra Pradesh between 2004 and 2013-14.

The Bombay High Court has issued notice on a petition seeking a CBI inquiry into Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) allegations of theft of natural gas worth $1.55 billion (about Rs 13,700 crore) from Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Wells.

The bench of Justices AS Gadkari and Ranjit Singh Raja Bhosle has sent notices to the CBI and the Central Government on November 4. The next hearing will be held on November 18. Petitioner Jitendra P Maru has accused the company’s directors, including Reliance Chairman Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani, of theft, misuse and betrayal.

News website Live Law has described this copy as Bombay High Court’s order to CBI. This is an interim order, which appears to have been issued after the first hearing on the petition.

Accusation of ONGC entering Wales and extracting gas without permission

The case pertains to alleged gas theft in the Krishna Godavari basin off the coast of Andhra Pradesh between 2004 and 2013-14. The petitioner has claimed that Reliance extracted gas from its deep-sea wells without permission by doing sideways drilling and entering into ONGC’s neighboring wells.

Maru said that this is a ‘Massive Organized Fraud’ i.e. a fraud planned on a large scale. ONGC officials caught this theft in 2013 and sent the report to the government. Later the company demanded recovery from the government, but no criminal action has been taken yet.

Reliance said- Gas came on its own

Reliance said that the gas was ‘migratory’, that is, it came to their wells on its own. In such a situation, the company had the right to remove it. But a firm named D&M (De-Gollier & Mac-Naughton) conducted an investigation, which confirmed that Reliance extracted gas without permission. Later, Union of India appealed and the court said that Reliance’s claim of ‘migratory gas’ was not true.

Now answers to 5 important questions…

What is the background of the whole matter?

This dispute has been going on since the 2000s, when Reliance and ONGC were given blocks in the KG basin. ONGC’s 12 blocks were around a larger block of Reliance. In 2013, ONGC expressed suspicion that their gas was depleting. Then after this,

AP Shah Committee fixed gas theft of $1.55 billion (about ₹13,700 crore), plus interest of $174.9 million (about ₹1,548 crore). First, Reliance got relief in the case under the agreement. But the Delhi High Court had rejected it in February 2025, saying it was against public policy.

What happened in the court?

During the hearing on November 4, petitioner’s lawyers Rajendra Desai and Kumal Bhange said that this is not just a civil dispute but a crime. Sections of law should be imposed under theft, dishonesty and betrayal.

• The court issued notices to the CBI and the union, asking them to summon all the relevant documents.
• Additional Public Prosecutor Madhavi H Mhatre appeared on behalf of the State.
• The judges did not comment, but listed the matter for November 18.

What does this notice of Bombay High Court mean?

Issuance of notice in any Indian High Court usually means that the court has taken the petition seriously and the case has started. But this is not an order to start investigation directly. The investigation will take place only when the court takes a decision after the next hearing. There are two situations for this-

• Case initiation: When a petition (like a demand for a CBI investigation into the RIL gas theft case) is filed, the court first calls it ‘issue notice’. With this, information is formally sent to the other party (like RIL, CBI or Government). This is a kind of ‘summon’, which says – ‘You know about the case, give your answer’
• Response Chance: The notice is ‘returnable’, that is, the reply has to be given by the next date (eg November 18). If no reply is received or the court is not satisfied, further action can be taken.

Can this be investigated?

Yes, but conditional. The investigation does not start immediately from the notice. The court hears first. If the petitioner’s case seems strong, then the court can order an investigation by CBI or another agency. Right now there is just a notice in the RIL case, in which CBI has been given a chance to clear its stand. If the party (here Reliance Group) ignores the notice, then the court can initiate a contempt of court case.

What could happen next?

If CBI investigation starts, it will become a big challenge for Reliance. The company may have to face criminal liability along with recovery of losses.

• ONGC may get a profit of more than Rs 13,700 crore.
• The case will raise questions on corporate governance in the energy sector, especially between public sector units and private players.
• Maru said that the investigation will bring transparency and such frauds will stop.

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