The Karnataka government has rejected objections raised by three oil marketing companies (OMCs) over its petrol tests, maintaining that samples from the state showed ethanol levels above the prescribed 20%.
Food and Civil Supplies Minister Rizwan Arshad said on Monday, November 9, that the government stood by its findings and accused the companies of avoiding questions about the actual ethanol content in petrol sold at retail outlets. He said the excess blending could damage vehicle engines and increase costs for consumers.
The government had said last Friday that tests on petrol samples collected from seven districts found ethanol levels exceeding 20%, with the highest recorded at 31.2%. The OMCs, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), subsequently disputed the findings, saying the sampling and testing did not follow prescribed procedures.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Karnataka government said the companies' response focused on technical objections without addressing the central question of how much ethanol was present in the fuel. It also said the state would not withdraw its findings despite what it described as pressure on other institutions and companies that had raised concerns about E20 fuel.
The government cited a July 28, 2026 letter from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) to the Union Petroleum Ministry, which flagged chloride and sulphur content in E20 fuel and alleged damage to vehicle components. According to the state, the letter was withdrawn within a week amid pressure from the Union government.
It also referred to an insurance communication from ACKO stating that engine damage caused by 'incorrect fuel usage' would not be covered, and vehicle manuals from Hyundai, Toyota and other manufacturers warning that using fuel other than E10 could void warranties. The government alleged that statements on these issues were subsequently softened or reversed.
The state also said a report by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) remained unavailable to the public. It cited the Attorney General's submission to the Supreme Court that E20 was still an experiment, followed by a clarification from his office.
Responding to the OMCs' objections, the Karnataka government said the petrol samples were collected by officers authorised under Clause 7 of the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply, Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005. It said the sample labels were jointly signed by the authorised officers and dealers or their representatives, as required under Clause 8(3), and that the prescribed forms recorded the fuel's density at the time of collection.
The companies had questioned whether the samples were collected in accordance with the 2005 Order and the Marketing Discipline Guidelines (MDG) 2024. They said the prescribed procedure required six one-litre samples, with two each given to the dealer, retained by the oil company or department, and sent to a designated laboratory.
The OMCs also said the October 2026 sampling exercise was conducted without their representatives. They claimed they had not received retention samples, outlet-wise details or laboratory reports despite requesting them. The companies further maintained that samples collected in September were tested at designated OMC laboratories.
The Karnataka government said the initial 63 samples were first sent to laboratories operated by IOCL, BPCL and HPCL. However, it alleged that none of the reports provided the ethanol percentage, despite IS 17021:2018, the standard cited by the companies, specifying procedures for testing ethanol content.
The state subsequently sent the samples to laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and certified under ISO standards. It argued that the findings could not be dismissed when the tests were conducted by laboratories accredited under India's national quality assurance system.
Arshad said the government had recorded details of the sampling process, including the authorised officers, retail outlets, dates, sample quality and the names of dealers, transporters and representatives. He also said the sample containers were signed and the prescribed legal process had been followed.
The minister said the government had used a water-based test, in which ethanol and petrol separate when water is added, but maintained that the samples were also sent to accredited laboratories. He accused the OMCs of questioning the sampling process without providing a technical explanation or disclosing figures from their own tests.
The companies have maintained that E20 petrol supplied across the country, including Karnataka, conforms to the Bureau of Indian Standards specification IS 17021. The Union Petroleum Ministry has also said that all 893 samples of E20 petrol collected from public sector OMCs across 27 states and Union Territories met prescribed quality standards.
The Karnataka government, however, questioned the companies' reliance on their own quality checks, saying independent testing was necessary to establish compliance. It said testing samples in OMC-owned laboratories amounted to the companies monitoring their own products, creating a conflict of interest.
The state also argued that ethanol blending was an automated process carried out at OMC refineries and depots. Since the blend was determined before fuel reached retail outlets, it said dealers had no control over the ethanol content and that responsibility for excess blending lay with the companies.
Karnataka has called for fuel testing to be moved out of the OMCs' control and placed under an independent and transparent system. Arshad is expected to convene a meeting with representatives of all oil marketing companies to discuss the findings and measures to protect consumers.
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