India's oil ministry rejects Karnataka's excess-ethanol findings as fuel companies seek independent tests

India's petroleum ministry rejected Karnataka's excess-ethanol findings, citing 893 samples it said met standards. Karnataka authorities had reported 26–31% ethanol in petrol from some outlets, versus the ministry's stated 19–21% specification. Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum challenged the state's testing procedures and sought independent testing of the disputed samples, rather than reporting a completed retest.