SC To Hear Ethanol Labelling, E20 Vehicle Compatibility Plea On August 31

The Supreme Court will on August 31 hear a petition seeking mandatory and uniform labelling on petrol pump dispensing nozzles to disclose the exact percentage of ethanol in petrol, along with a similar disclosure on fuel invoices.

The plea, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, also seeks an official vehicle-wise database on the compatibility of different ethanol blends and an independent expert assessment of E20's impact on the existing fleet. According to PTI, the petitioner has also sought a national consumer disclosure protocol and a transparent transition framework for legacy and non-compatible vehicles.

According to the apex court's causelist for August 31, the petition will be heard by a bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale.

The plea has sought a direction to the Centre and other authorities to ensure that every dispensing nozzle at petrol pumps carries mandatory and uniform labelling disclosing the exact percentage of ethanol in petrol. It has also sought directions for every fuel invoice to specifically and legibly state the percentage of ethanol in the petrol sold.

The plea has further sought the preparation and publication, within a stipulated time, of an official public database covering vehicle compatibility with different ethanol blends.

"Direct the respondents (Centre and others) to prepare and publish within a stipulated time an official, public, vehicle-wise 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 said.

Expert panel sought to assess E20 impact

The petitioner has also sought the constitution of an independent expert committee comprising representatives from the ministries of petroleum and natural gas and road transport and highways, the Bureau of Indian Standards, independent automobile engineers and others.

The committee has been asked to examine and submit a public report on the real-world vehicle compatibility of E20 across the existing fleet. According to PTI, the committee has also been asked to examine the impact of E20 on fuel efficiency, engine longevity and maintenance costs, warranty and insurance implications, and its net environmental footprint. The report is also expected to cover tail-pipe emissions and water consumption associated with ethanol production, as well as food-security and feed-diversion concerns allegedly arising from the blending programme.

Consumer disclosure and transition framework

The petition has sought directions to frame a national consumer disclosure protocol for all ethanol-blended petrol in consultation with the Central Consumer Protection Authority and the Bureau of Indian Standards.

"Direct the respondents to frame a national consumer disclosure protocol for all ethanol-blended petrol, in consultation with the Central Consumer Protection Authority and the Bureau of Indian Standards," it said.

The petitioner has also asked the authorities to place before the Supreme Court all policy files, technical studies, compatibility reports, safety standards, consumer advisories and records of public consultation that support the compulsory roll-out of E20.

The plea has also sought a transparent, time-bound transition framework for legacy and non-compatible vehicles, including consideration of designated availability of lower-ethanol petrol wherever technically, economically and logistically feasible.

According to PTI, the petitioner has also sought that the decision on such availability be supported by expert material and public consultation.