'Didn’t tell SC that E20 fuel programme is an experiment,' clarifies AG Office
Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered status quo with regard to the Karnataka High Court’s direction for enhancement of ethanol allocation
The office of Attorney General R Venkataramani has issued a clarification to assert that the Centre never told the Supreme Court that the government’s E20 fuel programme is an ongoing “experiment.”
The clarification came after several media outlets reported that the Attorney General made such a submission during a hearing on an ethanol allocation dispute.
“At no stage was any submission made that the Government’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme or the E20 blending programme is an “experiment,” the clarification read.
“It is clarified in explicit terms that any suggestion that the Government described the E20 programme before the Hon’ble Supreme Court as an “experiment” is incorrect and does not represent the submissions made on behalf of the Union of India,” it said.
“During the hearing, the learned Attorney General submitted that similar writ petitions involving identical issues concerning allocation of ethanol to Dedicated Ethanol Plants are presently pending before different High Courts,” read the clarification issued through the Ministry of Law and Justice.
“It was informed to the Hon’ble Supreme Court that Transfer Petitions are being filed for transfer of such matters to the Hon’ble Supreme Court so that common questions of interpretation of law arising from the same contractual framework may be considered together to avoid parallel proceedings and the possibility of conflicting decisions, if at all. This step is also likely to enable expeditious resolution of the litigation, so that supplies of ethanol to OMCs to maintain 20 per cent blending with petrol throughout the year is not impacted, under the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme, which is a national programme,” it stated.
After hearing submissions made by the Attorney General, the Supreme Court had on Tuesday, ordered status quo with regard to the Karnataka High Court’s direction for enhancement of ethanol allocation for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26.
“Issue notice... List on reopening (after summer vacation)... Till the next date of hearing, there shall be status quo,” a Bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Sheel Nagu said in an interim order passed on a petition filed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) challenging the June 16 judgment of the Karnataka High Court.
