Off-the-record war rages, Anil now asks: what did Dad settle?

In reply, Mukesh-controlled Reliance Industries dismissed the questions, saying that they were in the nature of a “fishing expedition”, “a figment of imagination”, and “baseless and mischievous”.

The Anil camp has asked how the younger Ambani brother “did not have details of the settlement of the management issues if they were resolved during Dhirubhai’s lifetime.” Questioned, the source close to Anil said: ‘‘How come no disclosure has been made to the stock exchanges, market regulator Sebi, RIL board and 36 lakh shareholders so far?”

A top official of Mukesh-controlled RIL said that while it would not like to engage in a public statement, it was sending out “not a statement, but only background information.” It then proceeded to dismiss the questions.

Last month, on November 22, Mukesh Ambani had said, “Dhirubhai took within his lifetime all steps to separate ownership from management and make Reliance a world-class professionally-managed company.”

This has prompted the Anil Ambani camp to ask: “Why no further details, information or documentation had been made available to anyone even after three weeks of Mukesh Ambani’s assertion on ownership issues in the Reliance group?”

Sources close to Anil further asked how his powers as managing director were substantially curtailed ‘‘only now, in July 2004, and not much earlier.’’

A RIL board meeting on July 27 had redefined powers in the company and vested controlling authority to Mukesh.

In response, the Reliance official clarified, “This is baseless and mischievous. It (dilution of powers) does not arise as no powers of VC & MD were diluted in July 2004.”

The Reliance official also dimissed reports in the media on the role of other Ambani family members in the battle as “totally baseless” and emanating from “dubious, non-existent sources”.

“In fact, these reports could be plants by vested interests intent on spreading disinformation,” the RIL official said.

Finally, on reports that a settlement between the two brothers is close, Reliance Industries said it “would not like to comment as the reports in the section of the media are speculative in nature.”