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EYE ON INDIA JULY 24, 2026 | The Indian Eye 6

E20 Fuel Row Deepens as Centre

Defends Policy, Consumer Court

Rules Against Carmaker

Nitin Gadkari categorically rejects allegations that E20 fuel causes engine damage or reduces

mileage in vehicles designed to run on the higher ethanol blend

OUR BUREAU sumer Disputes Redressal Commis-
sion ruled in favour of a vehicle owner
New Delhi/Raipur
whose car allegedly suffered severe
ndia’s ethanol-blended fuel pro- engine damage after using E20 fuel.
gramme has come under renewed The Commission directed
Iscrutiny after a consumer court the manufacturer to replace the
ordered a car manufacturer to re- complainant’s vehicle with a new
place a vehicle allegedly damaged by E20-compatible model. If the re-
E20 fuel, even as the Centre strongly placement is not provided, the com-
defended the policy and dismissed al- pany has been ordered to refund the
legations that ethanol-blended petrol full purchase price of Rs 20.50 lakh.
harms vehicle engines. The issue has It also awarded Rs 1 lakh as compen-
also taken on political overtones, with sation for mental harassment and Rs
opposition leaders questioning the 10,000 towards litigation expenses,
nationwide rollout and police inves- directing compliance within 45 days,
tigating what authorities describe as failing which interest would be pay-
a misinformation campaign targeting able on the delayed amount.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari interact Maruti Suzuki, however, has
The controversy centres on the strongly disputed the findings and
government’s ambitious E20 pro- during the inauguration of Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway in Uttar Pradesh (ANI Video Grab) announced that it will challenge the
gramme, which mandates petrol order before a higher judicial forum.
blended with 20 per cent ethanol as E20-compatible vehicle had actually Union minister and E20 fuel with the The complainant’s lawyer, Ad-
part of India’s strategy to reduce crude experienced technical problems be- intention of misleading the public. vocate P.K. Nishad, said the vehicle
oil imports, cut emissions and support cause of the fuel. The FIR names content creator developed repeated engine problems
domestic biofuel production. While The minister said leading au- Manish Kashyap along with several after covering around 21,000 kilome-
the government maintains the tran- tomobile manufacturers, including other social media accounts. Police tres. According to him, the manufac-
sition has been backed by extensive Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Tata Motors said the case has been registered un- turer initially attributed the malfunc-
technical evaluation and consultation and Mahindra, have not reported der relevant provisions of the Bharati- tion to poor-quality petrol, but the
with automakers, concerns continue a single complaint linking ethanol ya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information problems reappeared even after the
to be raised over the compatibility blending with engine malfunctions. Technology Act, and investigations fuel was replaced. He said the Com-
of older vehicles and the lack of fuel He also urged those claiming vehicle are underway. mission accepted the argument that
choice available to consumers. damage to register formal complaints Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party the vehicle was not compatible with
Union Agriculture Minister with both dealerships and the Minis- National Convenor and former Delhi E20 fuel and ordered its replacement
Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thurs- try of Road Transport and Highways Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has with a model capable of operating on
day declined to comment on the so that the allegations could be inves- urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi the higher ethanol blend.
growing debate, saying Road tigated. to reconsider the implementation of The developments underscore
Transport and Highways Minister The debate has expanded be- E20 petrol for vehicles that were not the growing debate surrounding one
Nitin Gadkari had already clar- yond technical questions into the po- originally designed for the higher eth- of India’s most significant energy
ified the government’s position. litical arena. anol blend. In a letter to the Prime transition initiatives. While the Cen-
“Our minister Nitin Gadkari has Nagpur Cyber Police have reg- Minister, Kejriwal claimed that own- tre continues to defend the E20 pro-
already clarified the entire situation, so istered a First Information Report ers of older cars and two-wheelers gramme as an important step towards
there is no need for me to say anything against several social media content have experienced reduced mileage, reducing oil imports and promoting
further,” Chouhan told reporters. creators accused of circulating false, faster engine wear and higher operat- cleaner fuels, the combination of con-
Gadkari has categorically reject- misleading and defamatory content ing costs after the introduction of E20 sumer litigation, political criticism
ed allegations that E20 fuel causes against Gadkari over the ethanol fuel. He demanded that petrol pumps and ongoing investigations into online
engine damage or reduces mileage policy. The complaint, filed by BJP provide consumers with the option of campaigns suggests that questions
in vehicles designed to run on the Nagpur City Social Media Cell Con- choosing between conventional petrol over vehicle compatibility, consumer
higher ethanol blend. Challenging vener Shishir Arun Tripathi, alleges and E20 fuel. choice and public confidence will re-
critics to substantiate their claims, he that YouTube videos and Instagram Adding fresh momentum to the main central to the discussion in the
questioned whether any owner of an posts made baseless claims about the controversy, the Raipur District Con- months ahead.

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