The Forum for Good Governance has in a memorandum to Controller of Legal Metrology sought cases of cheating of customers by petrol bunks as offences punishable under Indian Penal Code.
Forum secretary M. Padmanabha Reddy said cases against petrol bunks were presently compounded by imposing fine ranging from ₹ 10,000 to ₹ 25,000. Not a single case was found where the accused was prosecuted and the bunk seized. An RTI query revealed that all five cases in 2018-19 and one case in 2019-20 in Medchal district were compounded by imposing small fines. In Rangareddy district also, 28 cases were booked and all of them were compounded with fines.
The bunks used remotely controlled quantity adjustable fuel dispensing units. In a few cases the operators of petrol bunks tampered with seals and fixed integrated chips to cause loss to customers. Hence, these cases attracted provisions under sections 418 and 420 of IPC which were punishable with imprisonment up to seven years. But, Legal Metrology officials routinely booked the offences under section 25 of Legal Metrology Act which did not provide prosecution but imposed fine extending up to ₹ 25,000.
