It warns of legal action if the sale of the book is not stopped immediately

Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) and its chairman, Mukesh Ambani, have issued a legal notice to the authors and the distributors of the book Gas Wars: Crony Capitalism and the Ambanis. The book, launched on Tuesday, details the alleged irregularities in the fixing of natural-gas prices.

Mr. Ambani and the group headed by him served the notice, through a law firm, on the lead author, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, and co-authors, Subir Ghosh and Jyotirmay Chaudhury, alleging that the book defamed them. The e-book distributors also have been served notice, warning of legal action if the sale of the book was not stopped immediately and its copies not destroyed immediately. The notice also demands an unconditional apology.

Responding to the notice, the authors, in a Facebook post said,"The book Gas Wars has been "˜more than fair,"™ providing a version of events, circumstances and controversies based on research made from various public documents, opinion of individuals available in public and media reports.

"The authors are exercising, being journalists, right to free expression enshrined in Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.

The notice is being reviewed by our legal experts and an appropriate response will be provided as per the legal process."