India's top two law officers have advised NTPC to move Supreme Court at once to secure gas at a contracted price from Reliance Industries (RIL), a position in variance with Oil Ministry's plea on the Ambani borthers' gas dispute.
"The querist (NTPC) should take all possible steps to protect its interest as advised by the Solicitor General," was the opinion that Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati's offered to the government, informed sources said.
When contacted, Vahanvati, who expressed total agreement with Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium's recommendations on NTPC-RIL gas dispute, declined to comment, saying: "It is a legal and privileged communication. So, I cannot comment."
Offering his opinion, Subramanium had said: "I regret to say that if international competitive bidding processes are intended to be treated with such disdain from responsible bidder (RIL), the world of business founded on trust and faith will break down... The fact that (NTPC) had to file a suit is a telling comment on the facts of the present case."
NTPC is fighting to get gas at $2.34 per mmBtu from RIL, which has challenged it on the grounds that government's stand on price would frustrate the deal.
Oil Ministry has separately moved the Supreme Court challenging a Bombay High Court order on the Ambani brothers' gas dispute and assert that RIL had no right to fix the gas price or commit the fuel to RNRL.
"We will present our case and our arguments before the court," an RIL spokesperson told PTI when asked for comments on the law officers' opinion.
