The informal group of ministers to monitor the government’s stand on the Ambani gas dispute in the Supreme Court will meet again tomorrow to consider empowering itself.

Today’s meeting could only decide not to counter the advertisement campaign unleashed by Anil Ambani’s Reliance Natural Resources in newspapers. Even though petroleum minister Murli Deora had come prepared with a rebuttal of the campaign, the unanimous view was that the government should not get into it as the matter was sub judice, sources said.

The second issue of regrouping the empowered group of ministers could not be taken up due to paucity of time and will be taken up tomorrow. On the advice of the power ministry, Deora is suggesting that the EGoM be continued or reconstituted to decide on gas pricing and gas utlisation policy.

The rationale for an EGoM is that besides the Ambani row, the EGoM is required to consider allotment of gas that would come out of the Mukesh Ambani field over and above the 40 million standard cubic metres of gas. It would also help decide NTPC's next move in its legal battle with RIL for getting the gas at a committed price.

“We will not comment as the matter is sub judice,” Veerappa Moily said emerging out of the meeting.

The informal group was formed to co-ordinate the government’s legal stand over two overlapping disputes — supply of gas by Mukesh’s Reliance Industries Ltd and RNRL, being heard in the Supreme Court, and between Reliance Industries and state-run power utility NTPC, which is being adjudicated in the Bombay High Court.

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