Judge withdraws from India's Ambani court battle

November 04, 2009 08:04:48 PM

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One of the judges hearing the Supreme Court battle between India's billionaire Ambani brothers withdrew from the case on Wednesday, citing a conflict of interest, a report said.

Justice R.V. Raveendran, a senior Supreme Court judge, stood down from the three-member bench, saying his daughter was associated with a solicitors firm with connections to the older Ambani brother, Mukesh.

"I am recusing myself from hearing this matter since I came to know only yesterday that my daughter is associated with a solicitors firm which is advising the Mukesh Ambani group in other matters," Raveendran said, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan adjourned the case and said it would constitute a new bench on Thursday.

The bruising feud between Anil and Mukesh Ambani, two of India's richest men, stems from a family pact splitting the assets of the Reliance empire set up by their late rags-to-riches father Dhirubhai.

Supreme Court hearings began on October 20 after Mukesh appealed against an earlier ruling by a lower court in favour of Anil.

Anil, 50, is demanding the honouring of a 2005 deal that would allow his company, Reliance Natural Resources Ltd, to buy gas from Reliance Industries Ltd, controlled by Mukesh, at 44 percent below the government-set rate.

Mukesh insists the 17-year gas supply agreement brokered by their mother needed government approval and has refused to honour the price agreement.