Petrol Ethanol Blending: Government adamant on 20% ethanol blending scheme, Center made a big statement amid hearing in Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Central Government’s ambitious plan of blending 20 percent ethanol in petrol in the country is once again in the news. During the hearing of the case related to ethanol tender in the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the Central Government made it clear that the policy of 20 percent ethanol blending will continue as before. However, the hearing on the dispute related to supply and allocation of ethanol will continue in the court.

Hearing in Supreme Court on ethanol tender dispute

This case pertains to the ethanol tender dispute involving Bharat Petroleum and the Central Government. Karnataka High Court had ordered reopening of the ethanol allocation process for the year 2025-26. Bharat Petroleum argues that this order may affect the government’s 20 percent ethanol blending plan. A hearing was held on this issue in the Supreme Court.

What did the central government say?

During the hearing, Attorney General R. Venkataramani told the court that the government is continuously working on the plan of blending 20 percent ethanol in petrol. Describing it as a big national experiment, he said that its actual results are expected to emerge by next year.

He also said that many cases related to this subject are pending in different High Courts of the country. National policy may be affected if different decisions come from different courts. For this reason, the Central Government wants to file transfer petition for joint hearing of all the cases.

What did the Supreme Court say?

After hearing the arguments of the Central Government, the Supreme Court issued notice in the case and directed to maintain the status quo till the next hearing. The court also asked why the Central Government did not first approach the Division Bench of the High Court.

At the same time, senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the petitioner, said that filing the transfer petition is only an attempt to delay the case.

No change in 20% ethanol blending policy

After the hearing, the Attorney General clarified that his statement was only related to the supply and allocation of ethanol. He said that there has been no change in the government’s policy of mixing 20 percent ethanol in petrol.

However, the quantity of ethanol to be made available to oil companies will be decided based on demand, availability and other relevant circumstances.

Also read: Ram Mandir Donation Case: There was a strict protocol for counting donations, ignoring the rules opened the way for manipulation!

WhatsApp Big Privacy Update: Now chat will be done with Username, not mobile number; Know how it will work