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Informist, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025

 

--SC junks PIL seeking direction to govt for non-ethanol blended petrol sale

 

NEW DELHI –  The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking direction to the government to ensure the availability of non-ethanol blended petrol as well on all petrol pumps across the country and a mandatory labelling of ethanol content in the fuel. The petitioner had argued that it was not against the government's 20% ethanol-blended petrol policy, but an option is sought for consumers of ethanol-free petrol and supply persons should inform them which fuel is being given.

 

Attorney General for India, R. Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, had opposed the petition filed by Akshay Malhotra, an advocate. Venkataramani said the petitioner was just a name lender and a lobby was behind him. "Somebody from outside will dictate what petrol to use? Sugarcane farmers are benefitting from this. Now they will tell us don't (use this)?" said Venkataramani, adding that the government had considered everything before coming out with this policy. Noting Venkataramani's argument, the bench led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai dismissed the public interest litigation.

 

In 2021, the government said it would move to 20% ethanol blending in petrol by 2025 with goals of cutting carbon emissions and reducing the country's dependence on foreign oil. The vehicles modified to be compatible with the new composition started being rolled out from April. However, the government's push for 20% ethanol-blended petrol left vehicle-owners worried about the impact on their older vehicles and about a surge in maintenance costs.

 

Through a notification in 2022, the oil marketing companies were permitted to sell up to 20% ethanol blended petrol. According to the government, under ethanol blended petrol programme, oil marketing companies saved 4.3 billion litres of petrol on account of ethanol blending during the ethanol supply year 2021-22 resulting in an approximate savings of more than INR 200 billion of foreign exchange.

 

According to the petition, the government had notified the ethanol blended petrol programme to the extent of blending 20% ethanol and 80% petrol. This was in existence without any awareness to the public at large and is adversely affecting millions of Indian vehicle owners due to lack of compatibility of their engines with higher ethanol blends, said Akshay Malhotra, an advocate and the petitioner.

 

The petitioner said that its grievance concerned the non-availability of ethanol-free petrol, resulting in mechanical damage, economic loss, and performance issues to vehicles not designed or certified to run on ethanol-blended fuel to the extent of 20% petrol. This violated the Right to Life under Article 21, and the Right to Informed Consumer Choice under Article 19, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, said the petitioner.

 

Millions of Indians are unaware that the petrol in their vehicles is not 100% petrol but a mix of ethanol and petrol, which vitiates the basic component of an informed consumer choice due to non-disclosure of a material fact to the consumer, said the petitioner. The only petrol available at present at the petrol pumps is ethanol-blended petrol and the said composition has been introduced at the petrol pumps without any information or display at the petrol pumps, the petitioner added. The public at large is not even aware that petrol which is available today is blended with 20% ethanol and the same is not compatible with their vehicles, said Malhotra.

 

Malhotra said that the vehicles which were manufactured in India before April 2023 were not compatible with ethanol mix petrol and the vehicles as recent as two years old, though BS-VI compliant, are also not compatible with ethanol-mixed petrol, wherein the percentage of ethanol is 20%. The technical evidence as available and the advisories issued by various automobile manufacturers highlight that ethanol content in petrol causes corrosion of engine parts which results in lower fuel efficiency that leads to premature wear and tear of the vehicles and damages the fuel lines, plastic and rubber components, said Malhotra.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

 

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