Supreme Court dismisses PIL seeking mandatory disclosure of ethanol percentage in petrol

Supreme Court of India, on Monday, dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a directive to the Centre and others to ensure mandatory disclosure of ethanol percentage in petrol by fuel pumps. The PIL sought mandatory and uniform labelling on every dispensing nozzle at fuel pumps, clearly stating the exact percentage of ethanol in petrol for the consumers to understand what they are buying.

PTI has reported that a bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale said it is not going to entertain the PIL under Article 32 (Right to approach the Supreme Court directly) and the petitioner Narendra Kumar Goswami can approach the jurisdictional high court for relief. The report also stated that Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, submitted that it is proxy litigation as a petition on a similar issue has been dismissed by the court. "The petitioner wants the government of India to be answerable to him," the AG reportedly submitted.

Goswami, producing a petrol pump receipt before the court, contended that he has the right to know the content of the petrol given at fuel pumps. "Not only me but citizens at large should be informed about the composition of the fuel given to them," he reportedly submitted, adding that in the receipt there is no mention of ethanol content. He further contended that the Attorney General had described the ethanol-blending programme as an experiment in an earlier hearing, and said the government later issued a clarification denying such a statement being made.

The bench asked Goswami, appearing in person, to raise his contentions before the high court. Goswami has also sought a direction that every fuel invoice should specifically and legibly state the percentage of ethanol in the petrol sold. "Direct the respondents (Centre and others) to prepare and publish within a stipulated time an official, public, vehicle-wise compatibility database searchable by manufacturer, model, engine type and year of manufacture, indicating the suitability or otherwise of various ethanol blends for each vehicle," his plea reportedly said.

It has also reportedly sought the constitution of an independent expert committee comprising representatives from the ministries of petroleum and natural gas, road transport and highways, the Bureau of Indian Standards and others, including independent automobile engineers, to examine and submit a public report on real-world vehicle compatibility of E20 across the existing fleet.

The plea reportedly said the committee should also submit a report on the impact on fuel efficiency, engine longevity and maintenance costs, warranty and insurance implications, the net environmental footprint, including tail-pipe emissions and water consumption associated with ethanol production, and food-security and feed-diversion concerns allegedly arising from the blending programme. "Direct the respondents to frame a national consumer disclosure protocol for all ethanol-blended petrol, in consultation with the Central Consumer Protection Authority and the Bureau of Indian Standards," it reportedly said.

It also sought directions to authorities concerned to place before the apex court all policy files, technical studies, compatibility reports, safety standards, consumer advisories and records of public consultation that support the compulsory roll-out of E20. The plea reportedly called on authorities to formulate and publish within a time-bound period a transparent transition framework for legacy and non-compatible vehicles, including consideration of designated availability of lower ethanol petrol wherever technically, economically and logistically feasible, together with a reasoned decision supported by expert material and public consultation.

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