NEW DELHI: In the midst of concerns over a possible cooking gas shortage due to tensions in the Gulf, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court of India on Tuesday sparked a light moment in court while examining the scope of the term “industry.”
The bench, led by the Chief Justice, is reviewing the correctness of a 1978 ruling that gave an expansive definition to “industry.” During arguments, Attorney General R Venkataramani pointed out that the decades-old definition had become outdated. At this point, Justice B V Nagarathna remarked, “LPG has impacted the industry considerably.”
The comment briefly caused confusion, given the ongoing concerns about cooking gas supply. The Attorney General quickly responded, saying there was no LPG shortage in the country. This prompted smiles in the courtroom when Justice Nagarathna clarified that she was referring not to liquefied petroleum gas, but to liberalisation, privatisation, and globalisation.
She noted that since the 1970s, significant changes have taken place across these three fronts, and the court would consider these developments while reassessing the 1978 judgment. Her observation appeared to echo language used in a 2019 Supreme Court ruling.
Responding with equal wit, Venkataramani said the original definition of “industry” had been framed nearly 50 years ago, when socialism dominated India’s political and economic thinking. Since the 1990s, he added, markets have opened up substantially, warranting a fresh look at the definition.
