The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to intervene in the matter of fuel prices while stating that the daily change in the rates of diesel and petrol was the Centre’s “economic policy decision”, reported PTI. The court was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Delhi-based designer Puja Mahajan who had requested for a direction to the Centre to treat petrol and diesel as “essential commodities” and fix a “fair price” for petroleum products.

The court said it could not issue a direction to the government to change its decision, PTI reported. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice VK Rao said there are “larger economic issues” involved in the matter. “The courts must remain away from it,” said the bench. “The government may do it [fix a fair price].”

Advertisement

The plea claimed the government has “indirectly given implied consent” to oil manufacturing companies to increase fuel prices at their own “whims and fancies”. This implied consent was obvious since fuel prices were not revised for 22 days in the run-up to the Assembly elections in Karnataka, said the petition.

The petition also accused the Centre of spreading “misleading information” by linking the rising prices in India with the global increase in the rate of crude oil. Mahajan said that she had moved a similar petition in July and the court had urged the Centre to decide upon it. But she was forced to file the plea again as the government had not taken a decision so far on her representation.

In June 2017, state-owned oil firms discarded the policy of changing fuel rates on the first and 16th of every month, and resorted to daily price revision instead.

Advertisement

On Monday, Opposition parties staged a nationwide strike against the rising rates.

Last week, the Centre attributed the rise in fuel prices to external factors. Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan claimed the strengthening of the dollar and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries were responsible for the surge.