SME Times News Bureau | 19 Sep, 2018
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed an application seeking
direction to the Centre to disclose the formula on the basis of which
daily prices of petroleum and diesel are fixed.
A bench of Chief
Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao refused to interfere
with the government policy on fixing petrol prices.
The court was
hearing an application, filed by Delhi-based designer Pooja Mahajan.
Her advocate A. Maitri sought direction to call the records from the
government, including oil companies to disclose the formula and furnish
details on the basis of which the daily fuel prices are fixed.
The petitioner said that people were suffering irreparably because these prices were being enhanced on presumption.
Maitri
said that the oil manufacturing companies were selling their old stock
of petrol and diesel at enhanced prices while admittedly the said stock
was purchased at a cheaper rate.
As per official claims, petrol
and diesel prices are fixed on account of increase in international
prices. Admittedly, international price of crude oil is fixed on barrel
basis, the plea said.
The application was filed on the pending
public interest litigation by the petitioner in which she has sought
direction to the central government to fix a "fair price" of petrol and
diesel as it is a policy matter which involved larger economic issues.
The court has asked the government to consider an earlier representation pending before it on price rise of petrol and diesel.
Mahajan had filed a similar plea in July but the high court had then directed the Centre to treat the PIL as a representation.
The
petitioner has sought a directive to the Centre to fix a "fair price"
of petrol and diesel in line with the Essential Commodities Act.
