Supreme Court Dismisses Ethanol Disclosure Plea

The Supreme Court of India on Monday dismissed a petition seeking mandatory disclosure of ethanol content in petrol at fuel stations. The bench, comprising Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale, granted the petitioner the liberty to approach a competent authority.

Petitioner’s Transparency Argument

Advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami’s plea focused on consumer transparency rather than challenging the government’s ethanol blending policy. He argued that motorists possess a fundamental right to understand the composition of the fuel they purchase, drawing a parallel to ingredient labels on packaged food products.

Goswami specifically requested that ethanol content details be standardized across all petrol pumps and included on fuel invoices or receipts for clarity.

Court’s Stance and Government’s Opposition

During the hearing, the Supreme Court questioned why Goswami had directly approached the apex court instead of initiating the petition in a High Court. The Central government, represented by Attorney General R Venkataramani, opposed the plea.

Venkataramani referenced earlier Supreme Court dismissals of challenges to the ethanol blending policy. Goswami, however, clarified that his petition was distinct, solely concentrating on consumer information and transparency.

This ruling means that, for the time being, petrol pumps in India are not legally obligated to disclose ethanol content. The issue remains open for the petitioner to pursue before an appropriate legal body, continuing the discussion around fuel transparency.