Supreme Court Allows Oil India to Refile Drilling Petition

The Supreme Court of India permitted Oil India Limited (OIL) to withdraw an interlocutory application and file a fresh petition to challenge the central government's rejection of a hydrocarbon extraction project. The dispute concerns a proposal to use Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) beneath the Dibru-Saikhowa National Park in Assam's Tinsukia district.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Forest Advisory Committee refused to approve the diversion of 0.069 hectares of forest land, citing a 2023 Supreme Court order that prohibits mining in national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. OIL argues that ERD is not conventional mining because the drilling infrastructure remains outside park boundaries, with wells targeting deposits 3,500 to 4,000 meters underground. The company asserts the project is critical for national energy security, potentially meeting nearly three percent of India's oil requirements.

OIL further contends that authorities incorrectly applied the 2023 restriction while ignoring a 2017 court order and recommendations from the National Board for Wildlife that permitted sub-surface extraction under specific safeguards. Chief Justice Surya Kant ruled that the company could file a new petition if a fresh cause of action existed, noting that the court registry was previously barred from listing interlocutory applications in the related landmark case, TN Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union of India.