Law ministry steers clear of Vedanta-Cairn

The law ministry on Tuesday washed its hands of the controversy surrounding the deal between the Vedanta Group and the Cairn Energy, saying it had not received any proposal to ascertain the legal validity of the transaction. Nagendar Sharma reports.

The law ministry on Tuesday washed its hands of the controversy surrounding the deal between the Vedanta Group and the Cairn Energy, saying it had not received any proposal to ascertain the legal validity of the transaction.

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The response followed a newspaper report that the law ministry had bypassed Attorney General G E Vahanvati from providing opinion in the matter due to a conflict of interest, involving his son.

"No proposal has been received by this ministry from the ministry of petroleum in relation to the Vedanta-Cairn matter," the law ministry said in a statement.

"The ministry would like to clarify that there was no question of avoiding or bypassing the attorney general," it added.

It also said "no complaint has been received by the ministry in relation to any alleged possible conflict of interest. The attorney general's son is an independent professional practicing law as a partner of AZB & Partners."

A newspaper report had quoted a press release issued by Vedanta and Cairn Energy, in which the name of Vahanvati's son, Essaji, figured in the team, which clinched the deal.