Reliance Industries Ltd. .... Respondent(s) WITH CIVIL APPEAL NO. 4274 OF 2010 (Arising out of S.L.P. (C) No. 15033 of 2009) CIVIL APPEAL NO. 42754276 OF 2010 (Arising out of S.L.P. (C) No. 1506315064 of 2009) CIVIL APPEAL NO. 4277 OF 2010 (Arising out of S.L.P. (C) No. 18929 of 2009) I.A. NO. 1 IN C.A.Nos.4284281/2010 @ S. L. P. (C) .14414 14415/2010 @ CC NO. 1612616127 of 2009 1 JUDGMENT P. Sathasivam, J. 1) I have had the benefit of reading the erudite judgment of my learned Brother, Hon. B. Sudershan Reddy, J. I am unable to share the view expressed by him on some points and must respectfully dissent. 2) Though the facts and provisions of the relevant law have been set out in the judgment prepared by B. Sudershan Reddy, J., keeping in view of the importance in the matter, I propose to refer all the details and deliver a separate judgment in the following terms: 3) Leave granted. 4) "The people of the entire country have a stake in natural gas and its benefit has to be shared by the whole country." Association of Natural Gas & Ors. vs. Union of India & Ors. (2004) 4 SCC 489 (CB). 2 5) Being aggrieved by the judgment and order of the Division Bench of the High Court of Bombay dated 15.06.2009 in Appeal No. 1 of 2008 in Company Application No. 1122 of 2006 and in Company Petition No. 731 of 2005, Reliance Natural Resources Ltd. (in short "RNRL") has filed S.L.P.(C) Nos. 14997 & 15033 of 2009. Questioning the same common order of the Division Bench of the High Court, Reliance Industries Limited (in short "RIL") has filed S.L.P. (C) Nos. 1506315064 of 2009. Since the Union of India intervened at the stage when the Division Bench heard Appeal Nos. 844 of 2007 and 1 of 2008, it also filed S.L.P.(C) No. 18929 of 2009. One Vishweshwar Madhavarao Raste also filed SLP(C)....CC Nos.1612616127 of 2009. Since all the appeals arising out of the above special leave petitions emanated from the common order dated 15.06.2009 passed by the Division Bench and the issues raised in all these appeals are one and the same, all the appeals were heard together and are being disposed of by this common judgment. 3 6) Brief facts: The case of RNRL: (a) In 1973, late Dhirubhai Ambani set up the RIL consisting of Oil, gas, refining and exploration, textile, yarn, polyster, petrochemicals and communication business with his two sons Mukesh Ambani and Anil Ambani. In the year 1999, the Government of India announced a New Exploration and Licensing Policy, 1999 (in short "NELP"). This policy provided that various petroleum blocks could be awarded for exploration, development and production of petroleum and gas to private entities. (b) It is the policy of the Government that Petroleum Resources which may exist in the territorial waters, the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone of India be discovered and exploited with utmost expedition in the overall interest of India and in accordance with good International Petroleum Industry Practice. (c) In the same year, i.e. 1999, RIL has formed a Consortium with NIKO. Their consortium was the successful bidder for Block KGD6 and was called the Contractor. 4 (d) On 24.03.2000, Reliance Platforms Communications.com Private Limited was incorporated which was changed to Global Fuel Management Services Limited and now called "Reliance Natural Resources Limited (RNRL). (e) A Production Sharing Contract (in short "PSC") has been entered into between the Government of India and the Contractor on 12.04.2000. The PSC, as recorded, is within the contract area identified as Block KG DWN983. KGD6 is situated offshore coasts of Andhra Pradesh in the Indian Ocean. Such blocks are called as "Deep Water Exploration Blocks". The exploration in such areas require employment of highly skilled and experienced technical personnel and