PIL seeking relaxation of cap on subsidised LPG dismissed

The High Court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation petition seeking relaxation of the central government imposed cap on the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders for domestic use.

Hearing the petition filed by city-based advocate Vijay Kumar (party in person), which sought relaxation of the cap on subsidised LPG cylinders from existing six to 18, the division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna, dismissed the matter stating that the court cannot intervene in policy matters of the central government.

The advocate pointed out that the LPG has become major fuel for household purposes and the cap on the supply has hit the poor and middle class badly.

“The central government should revert to its earlier rule, which used to supply cylinder for every 21 days, which totalled up to 8 cylinders per year,” he said. The advocate for the central government said the cap on cylinders was a policy decision.

“However, there was a proposal to relax the cap to nine cylinder per year,” he said.

When the petitioner said relaxation should be up to 18 cylinders per year as there was no proper alternative for LPG, the court said it can’t intervene in policy matters. “If you want such changes, vote them (government) out,” the court said and, dismissed the petition.