On 30th June, the Union Government clarified that its 20% Ethanol Blended Petrol programme is a national policy initiative and was never described before the Supreme Court as an “ongoing experiment”. The clarification came after media reports published on 29th June claimed that Attorney General R Venkataramani had told the apex court that the impact of E20 blending would become clear only by next year.
The Attorney General's office has noticed certain false media reports published on 30-06-2026 on his submissions made before Hon'ble Supreme Court during arguments on the matter of Ethanol Blended Petrol (E20).
— Ministry of Law and Justice (@MLJ_GoI) July 1, 2026
For the complete factual position,
Link: https://t.co/aXZ1gSraDT
In a statement issued through the Press Information Bureau, the Office of the Attorney General called the reports “completely false”. The statement clarified that the media reports did not reflect anything close to the submissions made during the proceedings.
The case arose from a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited against a Karnataka High Court order concerning ethanol allocation for the 2025-26 supply year.
What the government told the Supreme Court
According to the clarification, the Attorney General informed the Supreme Court that petitions involving identical questions over ethanol allocation to Dedicated Ethanol Plants were pending before different High Courts.
The Centre is preparing transfer petitions seeking to bring these matters before the Supreme Court. The government argued that hearing the cases together would prevent parallel proceedings and avoid the possibility of conflicting judgments arising from the same contractual framework.
It also said an early resolution was necessary to ensure that ethanol supplies to oil marketing companies were not disrupted, thereby allowing them to maintain 20% blending with petrol throughout the year.
Following these submissions, the Supreme Court indicated that the proposed transfer petitions should be filed and ordered that the status quo regarding ethanol allocation for the current Ethanol Supply Year be maintained, insofar as the present case was concerned.
The Attorney General’s office stressed that no submission was made describing either the broader Ethanol Blended Petrol programme or E20 blending as an experiment.
Media reports triggered criticism
The controversy over E20 blending being called an “experiment” started with India Today’s report on 29th June, in which the media house claimed that the government had told the Supreme Court that E20 blending was “still an ongoing experiment” and that its results would be known by next year.
Other media houses quoted India Today’s claim, suggesting that the Attorney General had described E20 as being rolled out experimentally despite India already achieving its 20% blending target.
The reports led to criticism on social media, particularly because the purported statement appeared to contradict the government’s repeated defence of E20 as safe, economically beneficial and important for energy security.
The government has now urged media organisations to report court proceedings accurately, particularly when they concern major national policy programmes.
