Karnataka’s food and civil supplies minister Rizwan Arshad has defended the state government’s claim that petrol sold at some outlets contained more than 20 per cent ethanol, escalating a dispute with public sector oil marketing companies over fuel quality and testing procedures.
Arshad said on Monday that the state stood by a report based on petrol samples collected from outlets across seven districts. According to the state’s findings, most of the samples showed ethanol blending above 20 per cent, with the highest reported level reaching 31.2 per cent.
“This is contrary to the government policy that they will blend only E20 fuel,” Arshad said at a press conference. He said the alleged excess blending could damage vehicle engines and increase costs for consumers, although the oil marketing companies have rejected both the claim and the methodology used to reach it.
The minister said the samples were collected in the presence of authorised officials and that details including the retail outlet, sample quality, collection date, dealer, transporter and authorised representative were recorded. He said the samples were sent to laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, or NABL, and that the containers were signed as part of the process.
Arshad also defended the state’s use of a water-based test, saying that water causes ethanol and petrol to separate. He alleged that the oil companies had questioned the sampling process without providing a technical explanation or test figures to support their objections.
The dispute follows assertions by Karnataka’s Department of Food, Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Legal Metrology that motor spirit sold at specific outlets contained between 26 per cent and 31 per cent ethanol. The department’s claims relate to samples collected during an exercise in the state.
Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited have rejected the allegations. In a joint release, the companies said E20 petrol supplied across the country, including Karnataka, complied with Bureau of Indian Standards specification IS 17021. They said the state’s claims were not supported by testing conducted under the prescribed statutory and technical procedures.
The companies cited alleged deviations from the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel Control Order, 2005, and the Marketing Discipline Guidelines, 2024. According to the OMCs, the prescribed process requires six one-litre samples, with two each provided to the dealer, retained by the oil company or department, and sent to a designated laboratory.
The companies said samples collected in September 2026 were tested at designated OMC laboratories, while the October exercise was conducted without OMC representatives. They also said they had not received retention samples, outlet-wise details or laboratory reports despite requesting them.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has separately said that all 893 E20 petrol samples drawn from public sector oil marketing companies across 27 States and Union Territories conformed to prescribed quality standards. The competing claims leave the outcome dependent on the examination of the sampling records, retained samples and laboratory reports cited by both sides.
