CIC seeks BPCL’s affidavit on Delhi dealers selling fuel via tankers in UP
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) to file an affidavit stating clearly that no penal action has been taken against Delhi petrol pump dealers accused of selling diesel outside their authorised areas, including in Noida and Ghaziabad.
The direction came while hearing an appeal filed by a Noida-based businessman, who had alleged that several petrol pump dealers operating in Delhi were supplying diesel through tankers to parts of Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts in Uttar Pradesh, even though their licences permit sales only within the National Capital Territory.
The appellant had sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act on whether any government or departmental orders permit the cross-border sale of diesel and whether action was taken against dealers found violating the licence conditions.
During the hearing, BPCL informed the commission that “there are no penal orders issued by the BPCL in the instant case” against any such dealers.
However, Information Commissioner Khushwant Singh Sethi noted that BPCL did not clearly convey this information in its original reply.
It was observed that the respondent “ought to have explicitly told that there are no such orders, if no punitive action was taken against dealers”.
After examining the records, the CIC found that the public authority had failed to provide an appropriate and clear response to the applicant’s query. It directed BPCL to issue a revised and explicit reply stating that no penal action was taken and submit an affidavit confirming the same.
