Attorney General Clarifies Absence In Madras Bar Association Case: Says Engaged In High-Stakes Arbitration For India Govt

Attorney General for India R Venkataramani has clarified that his request for adjournment in the Madras Bar Association case before the Supreme Court was not intended to delay the hearing, but was necessitated by his ongoing engagement in an important arbitration matter for the Government of India in a dispute with Reliance Ltd.

The Attorney General said that he is presently leading the Government's case in an arbitration proceeding arising out of a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) under which Reliance was required to produce hydrocarbons for the benefit of the Government.

Considering the importance of the matter and its direct bearing on a national asset, the Government of India entrusted the matter to the Attorney General. Hence, the AG is leading the case on behalf of the Government at its request. The arbitral tribunal consists of Justice Michael Kirby (Presiding arbitrator),  former Chief Justice of India VN Khare and Sir Bernard Rix.

He added that the dispute, which originated in 2011, had been pending for a considerable period but has now reached the final arguments stage. The volume and significance of the work, he said, required his continued presence in the arbitration proceedings. Since two of the arbitrators have come from abroad and the final hearings are going on, the AG said that his presence was inevitable there. Therefore, the AG has been unable to attend to regular court work during the past week.

The clarification comes a day after Chief Justice of India BR Gavai expressed displeasure when an adjournment request was made on behalf of the AG in the Madras Bar Association matter. The CJI had remarked that it appeared to be an attempt to push the hearing beyond his tenure, which ends later this month.

The matter relates to the petition filed by the Madras Bar Association challenging the Tribunal Reforms Act, 2021.