A bench comprising Justice MM Sundresh and Justice Prasanna B. Varale raised the question while hearing petitions related to ethanol allocation for the Ethanol Supply Year 2025-26. Referring to media reports about the approval of E100 fuel, the bench asked how the government would ensure supply if vehicles running on 100% ethanol were permitted.
“We want to know that if vehicles running on 100% ethanol have been permitted, how will their supply be ensured?” the bench observed.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani told the court that large-scale changes to the manufacturing system would be required to facilitate the transition.
Earlier this week, the Centre amended the rules to permit the use of E100 fuel in flex-fuel vehicles. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notified amendments to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, on October 26. Under the revised rules, vehicles running on E100, which is almost pure ethanol, have also been brought within the regulatory framework. Previously, the provisions covered vehicles running on fuels with higher ethanol blends, such as E85.
However, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on October 27 that the government had no immediate plans to increase ethanol blending in petrol beyond the existing 20% level.
Currently, the country follows a policy allowing up to 20% ethanol blending in petrol, and petrol pumps across India sell E20 petrol, which contains 20% ethanol and 80% petrol. The court’s question on E100 availability has therefore brought the issue of fuel supply into focus alongside the regulatory changes.
During the hearing, the bench also stressed the need to empower farmers and examine the issue from the broader perspectives of public interest and the environment.
Justice Sundresh said the interests of a large section of the population, particularly farmers living in rural areas, must also be considered. Emphasising the importance of this aspect, he observed that farmers represented the third dimension of the issue and, in his view, the most important one.
“From the perspective of a large section of the country’s population, the third aspect, which I consider the most important, is farmers. We need to focus on how farmers can be empowered. Nobody is talking about this,” Justice Sundresh said.
Responding to the observation, Attorney General R. Venkataramani assured the bench that he would address farmer-related concerns during his arguments in the matter.
The Supreme Court adjourned the case to next month. The proceedings concern petitions seeking an increase in ethanol allocations for the 2025-26 Ethanol Supply Year, with the court examining fuel availability, regulatory changes and the broader implications for farmers and the environment.
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