Judgment

RANGANATHAN, J. :- These are eleven appeals preferred by the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC, for short) from a judgment and order, dated 30th July, 1983, of a Division Bench of the High Court of Gujarat at Ahmedabad in a batch of writ petitions, since reported in 1983 (2) 24 Gij LR 1437. The appeals are pursuant to a certificate of fitness granted by the High Court.

2. The ONGC was initially a Department of the Government of India but, in view of its expanding activities in the search for strategic and vital materials like oil, petroleum and its products it was set up as a body corporate. It is now a statutory corporation constituted by and under the Oil and Natural Gas Commission Act, (Central Act 43 of 1959, hereinafter referred to as the Act). The Act provides for the establishment of a Commission "for the development of petroleum and petroleum products produced by it and for matters connected therewith". Section 2(f) of the Act defines petroleum as having the same meaning as in the Petroleum Act, 1934 (Act 30 of 1934) and as including natural gas. The Commission established under the Act took over the previously existing organisation with effect from 18-9-59.

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