It was argued that there are over 40,000 hotels in Bengaluru and six lakh labourers depend on the industry. (Representative Image)The Karnataka High Court Monday became the second high court in the country to dispose of a petition seeking directions to the Centre and the state governments to provide uninterrupted supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders to commercial establishments amid the West Asia conflict.On March 17, the Bombay High Court had disposed of a similar plea filed by six LPG distributors.Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum of the Karnataka HC disposed of the petition filed by Bengaluru Hotels Association, taking note of the statement made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the situation is because of events globally that are not in the Centre’s control. “The Government of India is doing its level best to see to it that supply is least disrupted or not disrupted. However, this is an ever-evolving situation, and lordships should leave it to the executive,” Mehta said while appearing through video conferencing.The bench in its order said, “This court is cognizant of the order and observation made in the order of the Bombay High Court. The issue raised does not lie in a conventional administrative or statutory domain amenable to judicial review.“The disruption of LPG supply as placed on record is a consequence of complex international development and policy responses necessitated thereby. The matter relating to allocation and essential commodities, especially during global uncertainties and constrained supplies, falls squarely within the executive policy. Therefore, this court is of the considered view that though petitioner association has filed the petition this court is of the view that any directions issued, would trench upon executive policy.”The bench disposed of the petition saying, “In view of the statement made by Solicitor General and the fact that the state government is actively seized of the matter and is in the process of consulting stakeholders to evolve appropriate measures. This court is of the opinion that no further directions are called for.”The Association had claimed that the supply to restaurants and hotels had been restricted to only 1,000 cylinders per day. However, the number of cylinders allocated to commercial establishments was more in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala.Story continues below this adFurther, it was said that there are over 40,000 hotels in Bengaluru and six lakh labourers relying on the said industry, and the abrupt halt of the supply of cylinders infringes the right to practise their professions under Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution.The Karnataka government informed the court that a meeting was called involving all the stakeholders, including the petitioners, to evolve a mechanism for the regular supply of LPG cylinders. © The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Karnataka High CourtLPG