Amid the ongoing controversy over E20 fuel in the country, an important piece of news has come to light. The court has given the country’s first major verdict in favor of the consumer in the case of vehicle damage due to E20 petrol. The Raipur District Consumer Court in Chhattisgarh has given a shock to the car manufacturer by siding with the vehicle owner. The vehicle owner alleged that his vehicle was completely damaged after filling it with E20 fuel and there was no improvement even after repeated repairs.
White liquid stuck in the engine!
According to the customer’s claim, the engine problem started only after filling the vehicle with E20 petrol. The vehicle’s performance deteriorated along with misfiring and reduced mileage. During the inspection at the workshop, evidence of E20 foil soil was found inside the engine. Even a kind of white liquid came out of the petrol tank, which caused a lot of damage to the vehicle’s engine.
Court rejects company’s argument:
The case was against the famous car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited. The company and the dealer claimed in the court that the car model in question was perfectly suitable for E20 fuel. The dealer said that this happened due to poor maintenance of the vehicle and general defects. However, the customer presented strong evidence in the court that the new car, purchased in 2024, was running perfectly before E20 petrol was put in it, which was accepted by the court. Maruti Suzuki has to provide the complainant with a new car of the same model within 45 days, which can run successfully on E20 fuel. If the company fails to provide the new car, then the customer will have to refund the full price of the car i.e. Rs 20.50 lakhs. The court has ordered the customer to pay Rs 1 lakh as compensation for mental anguish and Rs 10,000 as court costs.
