'Head of family entitled to only one gas connection'

Madras High Court today upheld Indian Oil Corporation's amended policy of giving just one LPG cylinder to the head of the family, saying there is no legal infirmity in IOC limiting subsidised LPG supply.
Dismissing an appeal by one R Muthukrishnan, who had two gas connections here and Nagapattinam, the First bench comprising Chief Justice R K Agrawal and Justice M Sathyanarayanan said there is no legal infirmity in IOC limiting supply of subsidised LPG connection to households in ratio of one connection for household headed by an adult member of the family.
IOC had cancelled the second connection.
Muthukrishnan contended he had the two connections for more than a decade and his connection at Nagapattinam was cancelled in 2010 arbitrarily and illegally. He submitted he had two households at two different places and denial of connection at one household infringed on his fundamental right.

In its counter, IOC said Muthukrishnan origianally had three connections, two at Chennai and one at Nagapattinam. It cited an amendment to LPG (regulation of supply and distribution) 2000, in which the word 'Person' was replaced with 'household,' and said this amendment had resulted in detection of multiple connections, which were cancelled.
IOC further said LPG is a subsidized commodity and it is the concession made available to consumers and that multiple connections would hit supply to more consumers.
This contention was accepted by a single judge, who dismissed the petition filed by Muthukrishnan.
The first bench, before which the petitioner's present appeal came up today, upheld the single judge's order, saying there was no error or infirmity in that order, which cited Clause 3(1) of the amended order stipulating one LPG cylinder connection for one household under PDS.