SC to hear plea on ethanol content disclosure at petrol pumps on Aug 31

The Supreme Court will hear a petition on August 31 that seeks mandatory disclosure of ethanol content in petrol at every dispensing nozzle. The plea, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, asks the court to direct the Centre and others to ensure uniform labelling at petrol pumps showing the exact ethanol percentage. The case will come before a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale, according to the apex court's causelist.

The petition also demands that every fuel invoice should state the ethanol percentage legibly. It calls for a public database searchable by manufacturer, model, engine type, and year of manufacture to indicate vehicle compatibility with various ethanol blends. The plea seeks an independent expert committee to examine real-world compatibility of E20 across the existing fleet. That committee, the petition says, should also study fuel efficiency, engine longevity, maintenance costs, warranty and insurance implications, and the net environmental footprint of ethanol production, including water consumption and food-security concerns.