THE SUPREME COURT ON MONDAY dismissed a petition challenging the nationwide rollout of 20 per cent Ethanol Blended Petrol (‘E20’) and demanding the option to use ethanol-free petrol and its availability at fuel stations.
A bench of Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran refused to entertain the plea filed by advocate Akshay Malhotra as the Attorney General for India R. Venkataramani, opposing the plea, stated that the decision to switch over to Ethanol Blended Petrol had been taken after due consideration.
“The petitioner is only a name-lender. There is a huge lobby behind this,” the Attorney General remarked, asserting that the policy was aimed at benefitting India’s sugarcane farmers and saving foreign exchange. “Will people outside the country dictate what kind of fuel India should use?” he asked.
Senior advocate Shadan Farasat, appearing for the petitioner, argued that E20 has become the default option without prior notice to the public, leaving motorists with no choice. He cited a 2021 NITI Aayog report which, he said, highlighted concerns over the impact of ethanol blended patrol on older vehicles not designed for such fuel.
According to Farasat, only vehicles manufactured after April 2023 are fully E20-compliant. “We are not against ethanol blending, but we only seek an option of ethanol-free petrol for vehicles manufactured prior to 2023, which are not compatible with E20,” he submitted.
The plea alleged that millions of motorists had been compelled to use fuel unsuited to their vehicles.
The petition sought directions to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas to ensure the availability of ethanol-free petrol across all fuel stations. It also prayed for mandatory labelling of ethanol content at pumps and dispensing units, making the information clearly visible to consumers, and disclosure of ethanol compatibility to vehicle owners at the time of fuelling.
The plea pointed out that not just older cars and two-wheelers but also some newer BS-VI models were not compatible with 20 per cent ethanol blends.