The Attorney General’s Office clarified that media reports claiming the Union described the E20 ethanol blending programme as an “experiment” before the Supreme Court were incorrect. It stated no such submission was made, rejecting the reports as a misrepresentation of arguments presented in court.
The Office of the Attorney General for India has issued a clarification after noticing media reports dated 30 June 2026 that allegedly misrepresented the submissions made by the Attorney General before the Supreme Court in proceedings connected with a Special Leave Petition filed by Oil Marketing Companies (BPCL) in the ethanol allocation matter.
The reports claimed that the Government’s 20% Ethanol Blended Petrol (E20) Programme is “still an ongoing experiment” and that “the impact of the policy would become clearer by next year.”
The Attorney General’s office has rejected these claims as entirely false and said they bear no resemblance to what was actually submitted before the Court. In a press clarification, it stated:
“At no stage was any submission made that the Government’s Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme or the E20 blending programme is an “experiment.” 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”.
The press release further stated that during the hearing, the Attorney General submitted that similar writ petitions involving identical issues regarding allocation of ethanol to Dedicated Ethanol Plants are currently pending before different High Courts. For this reason, Transfer Petitions have been filed seeking transfer of those matters to the Supreme Court, so that common legal questions arising from the same contractual framework can be decided together thereby avoiding parallel proceedings and the risk of conflicting outcomes.
The press release adds,
“This step is also likely to enable expeditious resolution of the litigation, so that supplies of ethanol to OMCs to maintain 20% blending with petrol throughout the year is not impacted, under the Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme which is a national programme. Considering the above submission, the Hon’ble Court viewed that the proposed Transfer Petitions be filed and status quo may be maintained in respect of the ethanol allocation for the current Ethanol Supply Year (2025-26), insofar as the present matter is concerned,”
Earlier, the Supreme Court had directed status quo regarding ethanol allocation for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025–26. The Attorney General, R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, told the Court that the full impact of the policy is expected to become clearer by next year.
A Bench comprising Justice M. M. Sundresh and Justice Sheel Nagu heard arguments on yesterday, with submissions by the Attorney General R Venkataramani and Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave. The case involves challenges before the Supreme Court to a Karnataka High Court order that directed further enhancement of ethanol allocation.
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In its order dated 23 June, the High Court instructed Oil Marketing Companies BPCL, HPCL, and IOC to consider and decide a distillery’s plea for a higher ethanol allocation before finalising the tender process.
According to the Centre’s submissions, the High Court’s direction would affect the 20% ethanol-petrol blending policy. The Bench also raised questions about why the matter could not be taken up before the High Court’s Division Bench. The Attorney General responded that ethanol supply contracts had already been finalised in October 2025, and that multiple petitions on the issue are pending across various High Courts.
The Centre, the release also notes, recently dismissed concerns raised that India’s ethanol blending programme (E20 fuel) could impact the validity of vehicle insurance policies, and assured that the programme remains safe, consumer-friendly, and economically beneficial.
Further, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) stated that the government observed misleading and unsubstantiated claims being circulated on social media about Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) that appear aimed at confusing and misleading the public. The PIB added that ethanol blending is a globally accepted practice and is already implemented successfully in countries including the United States, Brazil, and Japan.
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