In a fresh twist to the ongoing battle over control of the Reliance Industries group, the government Thursday asked for a probe into the issues raised by vice chairman Anil Ambani.

"We have asked the Registrar of Companies to give a notice to Reliance," Company Affairs Secretary Komal Anand told reporters here, without spelling out under which rule the notice was served on one of India's largest private firms.

The registrar is expected to give the government a report in a week, she said on the margins of a seminar on competition here.

In a similar development, markets watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) had said Wednesday it was looking into issues of corporate governance raised by Anil Ambani, adding that appropriate action would be taken soon.

SEBI managing director M. Damodaran had told reporters here that the regulator had received letters from Anil, who is locked in an ownership slugfest with elder brother and chairman Mukesh Ambani.

"We are looking into the letters and we will do whatever is necessary," he told reporters on the sidelines of a business meet organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here.

Anil had reportedly written to stock exchanges and the capital market watchdog last month, alleging violation of disclosure norms regarding his departure from a group company India Petrochemicals Ltd (IPCL).

The younger Ambani sibling had urged the authorities to look into the issue of his exit from IPCL. Anil had resigned from the post of vice chairman of IPCL in January.

Company Affairs Minister P.C. Gupta had also confirmed earlier this week that his ministry was in receipt of letters from Anil Ambani. "The government has to do its job. We are concerned with all developments."

At a board meeting of Reliance Industries last month, Anil had declined to sign the financial accounts and made his concerns public prior to the meeting.

--Indo-Asian News Service