Supreme Court Refuses To Entertain Plea Seeking Mandatory Ethanol Percentage Labelling At Petrol Pumps

The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a plea seeking a directive to the Centre and others to ensure mandatory and uniform labelling on every dispensing nozzle at petrol pumps, disclosing the exact percentage of ethanol in petrol.

The petition, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, has also sought a direction that every fuel invoice should specifically and legibly state the percentage of ethanol in the petrol sold.

The Bench of Justice M M Sundresh and Justice Prasanna B Varale ordered, "Dismissed, liberty granted to the Petitioner to approach the competent authority."

Petitioner Narendra Kumar Goswami appeared in person, while Attorney General R Venkataramani appeared for the Union of India

The Petitioner submitted that the citizens of the country have the right to know the contents of the petrol.

AG R Venkataramani submitted, "He wants the Govt of India to be answerable to him...Your Lords have already dismissed pleas challenging this policy..."

A similar plea challenging the nationwide rollout of 20% ethanol-blended Petrol was dismissed by the Court in September, 2025.

It has also sought constitution of an independent expert committee comprising representatives from the ministries of petroleum and natural gas, road transport and highways, the Bureau of Indian Standards and others, including independent automobile engineers, to examine and submit a public report on real-world vehicle compatibility of E20 across the existing fleet.

The plea said the committee should also submit a report on the impact on fuel efficiency, engine longevity and maintenance costs, warranty and insurance implications, the net environmental footprint, including tail-pipe emissions and water consumption associated with ethanol production, and food-security and feed-diversion concerns allegedly arising from the blending programme.

"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.

It also sought directions to the concerned authorities to place before the apex 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 called on authorities to formulate and publish, within a time-bound period, a transparent transition framework for legacy and non-compatible vehicles, including consideration of designated availability of lower ethanol petrol wherever technically, economically and logistically feasible, together with a reasoned decision supported by expert material and public consultation.

Previously, the Court had directed status quo with regard to an order of the Karnataka High Court which directed enhancement of ethanol allocation for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26. The Apex Court was hearing a plea filed by an oil marketing company which claimed that the High Court’s order would destabilise the national policy of 20 per cent ethanol blending for petrol.

Cause Title: Narendra Kumar Goswami v. Union of India and Ors. [W.P.(C) No. 887/2026]