E20 fuel damages Maruti car; company ordered to give customer a new vehicle

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing debate over E20 petrol, a district consumer commission in Chhattisgarh has directed Maruti Suzuki and its dealer in Raipur to replace a customer's Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid with a new E20-compatible vehicle of the same model, in its order dated July 14.What was the E20 fuel dispute about?The complainant, Dr Premraj Devta, a 41-year-old Raipur resident, had purchased a Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid Zeta Plus. He alleged that the vehicle developed repeated technical problems after E20 petrol became widely available, and that he was not informed at the time of purchase that the vehicle was not fully compatible with the ethanol-blended fuel, as per the court order.He filed the complaint before the Raipur District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (Additional Bench) against two parties — the dealership, Nexa Magneto (Sky Auto Mobile), and Maruti Suzuki India Limited. Both contested the complaint through their counsel.Why did the commission order Maruti to replace the SUV?A bench comprising President Prashant Kundu and Member Dr Anand Varghese allowed the complaint, holding the manufacturer and dealer guilty of deficiency in service.The commission directed Maruti Suzuki and the dealer to take back the vehicle and provide the complainant with a new E20-compatible car of the same model within 45 days of the order.If the replacement is not provided within this period, the commission ordered that the opposite parties must instead pay the complainant the full value of the vehicle, which is Rs 20,50,494 in total, made up of the vehicle's price (Rs 18,29,000), RTO charges (Rs 1,86,850) and insurance premium (Rs 34,644).Separately, regardless of whether the vehicle is replaced, the commission ordered payment of Rs 1 lakh as compensation for mental agony and Rs 10,000 towards litigation costs, both within 45 days. It further directed that if this amount is not paid within the stipulated period, the opposite parties will have to pay 7 per cent annual interest on it from the date of the order until the date of actual payment.