Bombay High Court dismissed a plea seeking FIR against Reliance Industries over alleged gas extraction from ONGC wells, calling it baseless and delayed. The court ruled it lacked public interest and termed it misuse of judicial process.
High Court Refuses Criminal Case Against RIL (Image Source: Internet)
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has rejected a plea seeking that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) be ordered to register an FIR against Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and its officials. The allegation was that the company extracted gas from the gas wells of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) without permission.
The petitioner claimed that between 2004 and 2014, Reliance extracted gas from nearby ONGC wells through “sideway drilling”. A 2015 report and a committee inquiry were cited in support of this allegation, which also assessed the alleged damages.
The High Court clearly said that this petition has been filed “without solid basis” and with “bad intentions”. The Court found that:
CBI told the court that this matter is not a criminal but a civil dispute, hence there is no need for FIR. The agency also informed that the complaint has already been closed in 2025.
At the same time, Reliance said that:
The court considered that this petition is an “abuse” of the judicial process. The petitioner has not been able to prove that the matter is related to public interest. Also, such a long delay also became a big reason for the court.
Reliance has got a big relief from this decision. It also became clear that the court will not interfere in such serious cases without solid evidence and true intentions.
This case also shows that not every allegation is criminal—sometimes disputes are civil or contractual, which are resolved differently.
