New Delhi, September 17 – In a courtroom that felt almost weary from the case’s long journey, the Supreme Court on Tuesday pressed the pause button on a 30-year-old land battle between Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). A bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale granted interim relief to Reliance, staying all trial proceedings before the Additional Senior Civil Judge in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
“The bench observed, ‘The matter raises complex questions of law and deserves consideration before any further steps are taken in the trial court,’” said a lawyer present during the hearing.
Background
The fight dates back to the early 1990s when Gujarat’s government allotted about 349 hectares at Moti Khavdi to BPCL for a crude oil terminal. BPCL claims that Reliance Petroleum- later merged into RIL-slowly crept into a section of this land, allegedly extending a boundary wall and constructing structures without consent.
BPCL filed suit in 1995 seeking an injunction. What followed was an endless procedural slog: delayed surveys, adjournments, and years with no written reply from Reliance. Only in 2012 were issues framed. Amendments to BPCL’s pleadings kept coming-first in 2013 to remove alleged encroachments, again in 2017 to update survey numbers, and most recently in June 2024 to claim outright ownership of the disputed patch and demand compensation.
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Court’s Observations
Reliance challenged the Gujarat High Court’s May 9, 2025 order that had allowed BPCL to add these fresh claims despite the suit’s age. The High Court reasoned that because the original case pre-dated a 2002 procedural amendment, BPCL could tweak its pleadings “at any stage.”
During Tuesday’s hearing, Justice Mithal remarked that the longevity of the suit itself raised concerns. “It is a matter where the clock cannot be turned back lightly,” he said, hinting that letting the trial proceed while the Supreme Court reviews the High Court’s decision might create irreversible consequences.
Decision
Acting on Reliance’s appeal, the Supreme Court stayed the Jamnagar trial until it decides whether BPCL’s latest amendment was rightly allowed. This effectively freezes a dispute that has outlived several governments and corporate restructurings. For now, no further evidence will be recorded and the local court must wait for the apex court’s next move.
Case: Reliance Industries Limited vs. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
