Plea flags Rs 5,000 LPG black market rate; Delhi HC asks petitioner to approach government

New Delhi [India], April 22 : A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging rampant black marketing of LPG cylinders at prices as high as Rs 5,000 in Delhi came up before the Delhi High Court on April 22, 2026.

However, the Court declined to entertain the plea, directing the petitioner to raise his concerns with the government instead.

The petition, filed by Advocate Rakesh Kumar Mittal, claimed that despite the actual price of an LPG cylinder being around ₹1,000, they were being sold illegally at much higher rates due to an acute shortage.

He also alleged that the government was allowing the export of gas even as the domestic supply remained strained.

Mittal further pointed out that even the Delhi High Court canteen had faced a gas shortage recently, suggesting that the issue was widespread and serious.

However, a Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia was not inclined to intervene. The Court noted that the canteen issue had already been resolved and observed that the government is taking steps to handle the situation.

The judges made it clear that controlling supply, preventing black marketing, and managing resources are matters for the executive, not the judiciary.

They also remarked that courts cannot pass orders that are difficult or impossible to implement, such as completely stopping hoarding or black marketing.

On the allegation regarding gas exports, the Bench said it cannot interfere in economic and policy decisions taken by the government.

Dismissing the plea, the Court permitted the petitioner to submit a representation to the concerned authorities, directing that it be considered and appropriate action be taken.

Amid concerns over fuel availability due to the ongoing West Asia crisis, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) on Tuesday assured that there is "absolutely no shortage of petrol and diesel" in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Chandigarh.

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