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SC refuses to order CBI probe into fuel adulteration
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SME Times News Bureau | 06 Apr, 2018
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to order a CBI investigation into
large-scale adulteration of petrol and diesel by mafia in the Hathras
region of Uttar Pradesh.
A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra,
Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said the law was
already in place to enable the authorities to take action against such
malpractices.
The bench took note of the contentions of the
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas that public sector oil companies
had taken steps to conduct regular checks on the quality and quantity of
petrol and diesel being supplied by retail outlets to the public at
large.
The apex court in its order stated: "It has been stated
that the Motor Spirit and High Speed Diesel (Regulation of Supply,
Distribution and Prevention of Malpractices) Order, 2005 and the
Kerosene (Restriction on Use and Fixation of Ceiling Price) Order, 1993
have provisions to enable the states and union territories to take
action against malpractices."
"Moreover, it has been stated that
the ministry intends to implement the direct transfer scheme in kerosene
in identified districts of different states on a pilot basis. These are
essentially matters of policy. The Union Ministry of Petroleum and
Natural Gas is seized of the issue. Steps have been taken from time to
time, as elaborated in the affidavit filed in this court," it added.
The
court's verdict came on a PIL filed by a former Bahujan Samaj Party MP
Seema Upadhyay levelling allegations against Devender Agrawal, the
Samajwadi Party legislator from Hathras, that he had been indulging in
adulteration of petrol and diesel at outlets owned or operated by him
through "benami" names.
Upadhyay had claimed that there was a need for thorough probe by the CBI into the business activities of Agarwal.
The
court refused to go into the allegation of Agarwal owning multiple
outlets, saying the issue had to be determined by the oil companies.
Agrawal,
she claimed, had "in 1999 began his life as a driver of fuel tanker and
is currently a man of many crores besides being a member of the
legislative assembly".
Seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) probe, she alleged that the subsidised kerosene oil meant for the
persons residing in the rural areas or those living below poverty line
was being illegally diverted to oil mafia which uses it for adulterating
the fuel used in different vehicles, tractors and other equipment like
generators and pump engines.
Pointing to the huge profits that
the adulteration of petrol and diesel generates, she said this "enables
the fuel adulterators/ black marketeers/ fuel mafia to tame the police,
officials of the Food and Supply Department and other officers of public
distribution system".
Owing to the illegal activities of the oil
mafias, not only were the deserving sections of population not getting
their due but it was also causing huge damage to vehicles besides
contributing to pollution, she added.
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