Kamini Lau likely new PNGRB member legal
Controversial former judge Ms Kamini Lau is believed to have won the role of PNGRB member legal following oil ministry interviews in March.
If true, she will likely shake things up at the regulator. "Only a few candidates appeared for interviews," says a source.
"There are so many legal cases pending at the PNGRB." The PNGRB last filed a final order on August 7 (2023) on a dispute between Gujarat State Petronet (GSPL) and Hazira-based steel mill AMNS, which tried to lay a dedicated but unauthorised gas pipeline to Shell's Hazira terminal.
"Lau's appointment should be fast-tracked," says another source. "This will ensure the PNGRB's pending workload of legal cases is cleared."
When contacted, a source close to Lau says she has not received official selection confirmation. "She has been appearing for many interviews but hasn't been informed about her selection," said the source.
Lau retired as a judge from the Tis Hazari Court in Delhi on April 30 (2022). With a doctorate in law, she has in the past courted controversy by calling for the castration of serial or child rapists, according to news reports.
In 2020, Lau upheld the right to protest and granted bail to Chandrashekhar Azad, head of an organisation which opposes caste oppression. Azad was arrested for protesting against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill and the National Register of Citizens at Delhi's Jama Masjid Mosque.
But she later barred him from Delhi for a month ahead of elections. Lau is also known for her efficiency in delivering a verdict on the 2010 caste-based Mirchpur lynching case.
After the case was transferred to Lau's court in December 2011, she ruled in September 2012, convicting 15 of the 97 accused. Apart from Lau, others who appeared for the PNGRB interviews include Vinay Paranjape, former chief general manager and vice president (legal) at Petronet-LNG, and Rashmi Bansal, a member of the District Commission for Dispute Redressal Forum in Delhi.
If and when confirmed, Lau will replace AK Pande, who died unexpectedly on September 26 (2023).