The Government of India, in 1992, decided to offer certain discovered oil fields for development under a joint venture model. Where the decision was driven by the country’s foreign exchange ... crisis, declining domestic crude production, and lack of resources to fully develop these oil fields. The policy aimed to involve private entities in medium-sized and small-sized oil fields, with ONGC/OIL participating only in the medium-sized fields. The Panna and Mukta oil fields were awarded to a consortium led by Reliance Industries Limited and Enron, with ONGC holding a 40% stake. The appellants, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the award of this contract, alleging corruption, arbitrariness, and lack of transparency. After dismissal by the High Court, the appellants approached the Supreme Court.