Attorney-general R. Venkatramani was quoted in various media reports and on social media as telling the Supreme Court on Tuesday, 30 June that India’s ethanol blending programme was still evolving and that its impact would become clearer over time.
“Every year, there may either be a spurt in demand or a fall in demand. The 20 per cent ethanol blending programme is still something the government is trying to experiment with. By next year, October onwards, probably the demand may go down,” he was quoted as saying.
The A-G was arguing against an order passed by the Karnataka High Court directing oil marketing companies to accommodate the offer of a supplier to supply more ethanol than was allotted to it. Since supply orders for the year had already been decided and allotted, he argued, changing the allotment of one supplier would disrupt the supply chain as 75 other suppliers would make similar demands. The A-G was practically admitting that the government had created excess supply of ethanol than required.
In September 2025, the Supreme Court had dismissed petitions challenging the E20 programme and declared ethanol-blended petrol to be legal. The A-G had then argued that petitioners reflected the interests of a larger lobby intent on obstructing India’s clean fuel transition. “The policy is benefiting our sugarcane farmers and is saving precious foreign exchange. Will people outside the country dictate what kind of fuel India should use?” he had asked during the hearing.
On Tuesday evening, Karnataka home minister Priyank Kharge fumed at the “experiment on 3.6 crore Indian car-owners”. Claiming that 9 out of 10 vehicles in India are not compatible with E20, he pointed out that the policy was rolled out without consensus, without public consultation and without remorse.
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