Centre Did Not Describe E20 Programme As An "Experiment" Before Supreme Court: Attorney General's Office Clarifies

The Office of the Attorney General for India after noticing media reports published on 30 June 2026 which incorrectly reported the submissions made by the Attorney General before the Supreme Court in the proceedings arising out of the Special Leave Petition filed by the Oil Marketing Companies (BPCL) in ethanol allocation matter has issued a clarification.

The reports stated 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."

Stating that these reports are completely false and do not reflect anything even close to the actual submissions made before the Court, the AG's office has said, "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 states that during the hearing, the 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 and as such Transfer Petitions are being filed for transfer of such matters to the 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% 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," the press release adds.

The Supreme Court has directed a status quo on the ethanol supply allocation for the Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025–26. Attorney General R Venkataramani, on behalf of the Centre told Supreme Court yesterday that the full impact of the policy is expected to be clearer by next year.

A bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Sheel Nagu yesterday heard arguments from Attorney General R Venkataramani and Senior Advocate Siddharth Dave. The parties are before Supreme Court against a Karnataka High Court order which had directed further enhancement of ethanol allocation. In its June 23 order, the High Court directed Oil Marketing Companies — BPCL, HPCL and IOC — to examine and decide a distillery's plea seeking higher ethanol allocation before finalising the tender process.

Venkataramani told court today that the High Court's order would affect the policy for 20 per cent ethanol-petrol blending. The bench has now issued notice to the Union of India and 23 distilleries – on BPCL’s appeal challenging the high court's order. Justice Sundresh further asked why the matter could not be taken up before the High Court's Division Bench, the Attorney General said ethanol supply contracts had already been finalised in October 2025 and that multiple petitions on the issue were pending before various high courts.

Just last week, Centre dismissed concerns being raised that India's ethanol blending program -- E20 fuel -- could affect the validity of vehicle insurance policies, and assured that it remains safe, consumer-friendly, and economically beneficial. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) in a release said that the government had noted certain misleading and unsubstantiated claims being circulated on social media regarding Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP), which appear to be aimed at confusing and misleading the public. "Ethanol blending is a globally accepted practice and is successfully implemented in several countries, including the United States, Brazil, and Japan," it added.