Wheels of justice finally moving at the PNGRB
After nearly two years of paralysis, the PNGRB has resumed hearing cases following the appointment of (Ms) Sudha Rani Relangi as the new member legal.
Relangi took charge on May 29 (2025), filling a role vacant since former member legal AK Pande unexpectedly passed away on September 26 (2023). On June 4 (2025), the PNGRB announced it would begin hearings again on June 10 (2025), almost two years after it passed its last order on August 7 (2023) in a dispute between Gujarat State Petronet (GSPL) and ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) over an allegedly unauthorised pipeline from Shell's Hazira LNG terminal.
Since then, more than 100 pending cases have piled up at the PNGRB. "There are so many stuck cases," says a source.
"But with this appointment, we hope things can move forward; it has been a long wait." On November 10 (2023), the oil ministry first advertised the role, then advertised it again on August 12 (2024).
However, delays in the final selection stalled legal work at the PNGRB. With a legal career of over 35 years, Relangi has served multiple branches of India's legal and enforcement systems, according to a PNGRB post on Facebook.
Beginning her career in advocacy and then joining the Indian Legal Service (ILS), she has held senior positions, including director of prosecution at the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), judge attorney general of the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police), and joint secretary and legislative counsel in the law and justice ministry. At the PNGRB, she will oversee legal and executive functions.
Her expertise includes legal strategy, international law, public policy, dispute resolution, and legislative drafting. A graduate in law and science from Andhra University, she also holds a degree in International Business Law from the London School of Business and Finance.
Wasting time appointing a new member legal at the PNGRB is nothing. After retiring in March 2020, the oil ministry took two years to replace former member legal SS Chahar with AK Pande in March 2022.