Gas pricing scam: Mukesh Ambani, Moily, Deora booked for graft, cheating

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government`s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday filed an FIR against Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and several others for allegedly creating artificial scarcity of natural gas and for fixing prices. According to reports, the case against them was lodged a day after Arvind Kejriwal announced that the complaint will be filed against Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and others for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to manipulate gas prices. PTI news report quoting official sources said that Moily, Ambani, former minister Murli Deora and retired official VK Sibal have been named in the FIR. The Delhi government had on Tuesday ordered an FIR against RIL chairperson Mukesh Ambani, Petroleum Minister Veerappa Moily, former minister Murli Deora and ex director-general hydrocarbons VK Sibal under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to manipulate gas prices. However, the company later issued a statement and refuted the charges, terming them as shocking. While addressing a press conference, the Delhi CM had said that the directions to register FIR were given after four people complained against them. The price of natural gas was raised to USD 4/unit and Reliance followed it up by producing less gas due to which India had to import gas, leading to inflation, Kejriwal said. The Aam Admi Party (AAP) leader also demanded that the gas fields allocated to Reliance Industries in the Krishna-Godavari basin off the Andhra Pradesh coast be taken back and handed over to the state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp. He said he would also raise the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and call for a further hike in gas prices from April 1 to be kept in abeyance -- after the company was allowed to charge a higher rate of around $4 per unit a couple of years ago. Congress general secretary Ajay Maken later said that the party was not against an inquiry. "The only two things should be clearly looked at - first whether it is political vendetta and, secondly, is it within constitutional jurisdiction. We hope Delhi government would have taken care of these two parameters," he said. (With PTI Inputs)