Supreme Court to hear petition on mandatory ethanol labelling at fuel pumps

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on August 31 on a petition demanding mandatory and uniform labelling of ethanol percentages on all petrol pump dispensing nozzles. A bench comprising Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale will hear the matter, according to the court's causelist.

The petition, filed by Narendra Kumar Goswami, seeks to establish transparency in fuel composition at the retail level. It demands that petrol pump invoices explicitly and legibly state the percentage of ethanol in fuel sold to consumers, enabling informed purchasing decisions.

Beyond labelling requirements, the petition calls for the creation of a comprehensive, publicly accessible vehicle compatibility database. The sought-after resource would be searchable by manufacturer, model, engine type and year of manufacture, clearly indicating which ethanol-blended fuels are suitable for specific vehicles.

The plea has also requested the constitution of an independent expert committee to oversee the implementation of these measures. Petitioners argue that such steps are necessary to protect vehicle engines and ensure consumer awareness regarding fuel composition and compatibility across India's diverse automotive fleet.