Many call Anand Jain Mukesh Ambani's 'eyes and ears'. The senior Ambani's schoolmate is said to be fiercely loyal to his childhood friend. With Dhirubhai often referring to him as 'my third son', he has been heading the supporting cast in the ongoing Reliance saga.

A low-key operator, he came into the limelight when he became the subject of Anil Ambani's vitriolic letters released to the media. He said that it would be below his dignity to be on the same board as Jain in IPCL. He also said that Jain was trying to divide the family.

Reliance insiders say that it was Jain's proximity to Mukesh that made him the target of the Anil Ambani camp. They felt that Mukesh trusted Jain more than was necessary.

Jain's stint at Reliance first began by handling their property buys. He then rose to become a director in both Reliance Infocomm and another group company IPCL. Jain was a director on the board of the erstwhile public sector undertaking (IPCL) which Reliance acquired in 2002. He was also a distributor for Reliance.

All along, Jain reiterated that he was only helping his friend Mukesh and had no stake in any of the companies. He said that he was busy with his own family businesses. Then, details about some of Jain's family businesses were leaked out to the media. Many of the businesses, where his family members were involved, had dealings with Reliance Industries and other group companies.

V Balasubramaniam: Also known as 'Balu', played a significant role during the days of the build-up of the Reliance Empire. He served as president of Reliance Industries. He chose the Mukesh Ambani camp.

Satish Seth: Opted for the Anil Ambani camp. He played a major role in strategising and overseeing businesses in petrochemicals, petroleum, telecommunication and power sector in the Reliance empire.

Tony Jesudasan: Considered the right hand of Anil Ambani, he was actively involved in the settlement issue representing the younger sibling's interests.

V Balasubramaniam (left, in dark suit and checkered tie), Satish Seth (right) and Anand Jain (inset, centre). rediff.com file photogarphs

The Reliance ownership battle: Complete Coverage