Date:31/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/31/stories/2008123153490400.htm

New Delhi

Court notice to Union Ministry

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and oil marketing companies on a public interest litigation by a non-government organisation seeking judicial intervention on a proposal to abolish the “marker system” for kerosene meant for sale through shops run under the Public Distribution System.

Issuing the notices, a Vacation Bench of the Court comprising Justice V.B. Gupta and Justice Manmohan asked the respondents to file their replies to the petition by January 7. The petitioner, Sahara Kalyan Samiti, submitted that the marker system would cease to be in force after December 31, and the Government had told the media that there was no plan to renew it.

The petitioner submitted that the marker system was introduced in 2006 following the murder of Indian Oil Corporation sales manager Shanmughan Manjunath in the preceding year at Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh, to prevent diversion of kerosene from government shops to the black market for adulterating it in motor fuels.

The adulteration of motor fuels with kerosene, run by the oil mafia, was estimated to be a racket of Rs.5,000 per annum, the petition alleged.