SC nod to cancellation of petrol pumps

The Supreme Court today stood by its order of cancelling the allotment of around 300 petrol pumps, made during the previous NDA regime. The pumps will have to close down within three months.

The petrol pump scam broke out in 2002 with the list of beneficiaries including mostly those from the Congress and BJP. The government then cancelled all the allotments.

However, the Supreme Court stayed that wholesale order and appointed a committee of two judges to examine some 400 tainted allotments.

The committee found that the allotments were not in order and politicians and their cronies were the actual beneficiaries. The court then cancelled scores of allotments.

The allottees who lost their licences challenged the committee's jurisdiction. In today's judgment delivered by a Bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal, the court upheld the jurisdiction and confirmed the earlier cancellation of the allotments.

The order covers not only petrol pumps but also LPG and kerosene outlets awarded during the NDA regime.

The court clarified that those allotments which were protected by the interim order would continue till further orders. The case will now be heard by another Bench as the Chief Justice is retiring on Sunday.