No mandatory ethanol labels on petrol pumps for now, SC junks plea

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking mandatory disclosure of ethanol content in petrol sold at fuel stations across the country, after the Centre opposed the plea and urged the court not to entertain it.The plea comes against the backdrop of the Centre’s nationwide E20 blending programme. (HT photo)A bench of justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale said that the petitioner could approach the competent authority with his grievance instead of directly moving the top court. “Dismissed…It will remain open for petitioner to approach the competent authority,” said the bench in its brief order.The petition, filed by advocate Narendra Kumar Goswami, sought directions to the central government to ensure mandatory and uniform labelling on every dispensing nozzle at petrol pumps, clearly disclosing the exact percentage of ethanol blended in petrol.The bench initially questioned Goswami’s locus and his decision to approach the Supreme Court directly rather than a jurisdictional high court.Goswami, however, said consumers had a right to know the ethanol content of the petrol they were purchasing.Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, opposed the petition, pointing out that the Supreme Court had already dismissed challenges to the government’s ethanol-blending policy.“Your lordships have already dismissed pleas challenging the policy,” said the AG, referring to the court’s earlier orders rejecting challenges to compulsory ethanol blending.Goswami clarified that he was not questioning the government’s E20 policy but was only seeking disclosure of the ethanol content so that consumers could make an informed choice.“I am not challenging the policy. I just want to know. I have the right to know. Even when we buy a packet of biscuits, we know the ingredients. Last time AG said it is an experiment. After that they gave clarification,” he said.The court, however, declined to entertain the plea and granted liberty to the petitioner to take up the issue with the competent authority.Also Read:Himachal: No new ethanol plants to come up, minister tells assemblyThe plea comes against the backdrop of the Centre’s nationwide E20 blending programme, under which petrol containing up to 20% ethanol is being supplied at fuel stations. Ethanol is a biofuel produced from feedstocks such as sugarcane, rice and maize, and the government has promoted higher ethanol blending as part of its efforts to reduce crude oil imports, strengthen energy security and cut greenhouse gas emissions.The Supreme Court had in September 2025 dismissed a PIL challenging compulsory ethanol blending and seeking the availability of ethanol-free petrol as an alternative. It had at the time observed that the government’s decision is in line with its larger energy security and environmental goals, including reducing reliance on crude oil imports and cutting vehicular emissions.During that hearing too, the Centre had defended the policy. The Attorney General had described the petitioner as a “name-lender” and alleged that a larger lobby was behind the challenge. He had asserted that the government had formulated the policy after taking all relevant aspects into consideration and that the programme was benefiting sugarcane farmers.The earlier PIL had been filed by advocate Akshay Malhotra and had directly questioned the government’s decision to move towards mandatory E20 petrol.