Supreme Court refuses to entertain PIL seeking mandatory disclosure of ethanol content at petrol pumps

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a public interest litigation seeking directions to the Centre and other authorities to make it mandatory for petrol pumps to clearly disclose the exact percentage of ethanol blended in petrolThe petition sought uniform labelling on every fuel dispensing nozzle informing consumers about the composition of the petrol being sold It also sought mandatory disclosure of ethanol content on fuel invoices and a publicly accessible database detailing vehicle compatibility with different ethanol blendsA bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale said it would not entertain the plea under Article 32 of the Constitution which allows individuals to directly approach the Supreme Court for the enforcement of fundamental rightsThe bench instead asked petitioner Narendra Kumar Goswami to approach the jurisdictional high court for reliefSupreme Court asks petitioner to approach high courtGoswami who appeared before the court in person argued that consumers had a right to know the composition of the fuel being supplied to them at petrol stationsNot only me but citizens at large should be informed about the composition of the fuel given to them he submittedThe court however asked him to raise his arguments before the appropriate high courtThe Attorney General R Venkataramani appearing for the Centre opposed the PIL and argued that the matter had already been the subject of litigationThe petitioner wants government of India to be answerable to him the Attorney General submittedHe also told the court that the petition amounted to proxy litigation claiming that a plea concerning a similar issue had previously been dismissed by the Supreme CourtPlea sought ethanol percentage on fuel dispensers and invoicesThe PIL sought directions to the Centre and other authorities to ensure that the exact percentage of ethanol in petrol was prominently and uniformly displayed at every dispensing nozzle at fuel stationsThe petitioner also sought a direction requiring fuel invoices to clearly state the percentage of ethanol blended in the petrol sold to consumersThe plea argued that motorists should be able to access clear information about the fuel being used in their vehicles particularly as different vehicles may have varying levels of compatibility with ethanolblended petrolIt also sought the creation of an official and publicly accessible database containing vehiclewise information on compatibility with various ethanol blendsPetitioner seeks public database on vehicle compatibilityAccording to the petition the proposed database should be searchable by vehicle manufacturer model engine type and year of manufactureIt should indicate whether a particular vehicle is compatible with specific ethanol blends and provide consumers with information about the suitability of different fuelsDirect the respondents Centre and others to prepare and publish within a stipulated time an official public vehiclewise compatibility database searchable by manufacturer model engine type and year of manufacture indicating the suitability or otherwise of various ethanol blends for each vehicle the plea saidThe petitioner also sought the constitution of an independent expert committee to examine the realworld impact of E20 petrol on Indias existing vehicle fleetPlea seeks expert panel to examine impact of E20The proposed committee was to include representatives from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Bureau of Indian Standards along with independent automobile engineers and other expertsThe PIL sought a public report examining the compatibility of E20 fuel across existing vehiclesIt also asked for an assessment of its impact on fuel efficiency engine longevity and maintenance costs as well as possible implications for vehicle warranties and insuranceThe plea further sought an examination of the environmental impact of ethanol blending including tailpipe emissions and water consumption associated with ethanol productionIt also raised concerns regarding food security and the diversion of agricultural resources for ethanol productionCourt declines to examine plea under Article 32The Supreme Court did not examine the merits of the petitioners claims or the reliefs sought in the PILInstead the bench made it clear that it was not inclined to exercise its jurisdiction under Article 32 in the matter and directed the petitioner to seek relief before the appropriate high courtWith inputs from PTI