Raipur Consumer Court has given an important decision on the damage to the car due to E20 petrol. The court ordered the manufacturer and the dealer to pay damages to the customer including repair expenses. This may be the first case of its kind in the country.
Raipur: If any fault occurs in your vehicle due to E20 petrol, now you can get compensation. The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (Consumer Court) in Raipur, Chhattisgarh has given a similar decision, which may be the first case of its kind in the country. The court has given a verdict in favor of a customer and has ordered the car manufacturing company and the dealer to pay compensation.
According to a report in India Today, this is the first order of the Consumer Court in the country on a complaint related to E20 petrol. The court has clearly said in its order that the vehicle manufacturer and the dealer will together bear the entire expense of repairing the vehicle. Apart from this, separate compensation will have to be paid for the mental distress suffered by the customer and the amount spent in fighting the case.
What was the whole matter?
The complaining customer said that due to using E20 petrol (petrol mixed with 20% ethanol), his vehicle was facing continuous engine problems and the mileage had also reduced. Despite repeated repairs, the problem remained the same. At the same time, the company and the dealer termed these allegations as false. His argument was that this vehicle model is completely compatible with E20 petrol. He said that the fault in the vehicle could be due to normal wear and tear or service problem.
But, the commission did not accept the company’s arguments. The court said that the persistence of the defect even after repeated repairs proves that the customer’s complaint is genuine. The court also noted that nowadays only E20 petrol is available at petrol pumps, hence customers have no other option. On this basis, the court also ordered to pay compensation along with the repair expenses. The court has also directed that if the money is not given within the stipulated time, interest will also have to be paid on it.