Petrol pump toilets are not open for public use: Kerala High Court

In a recent ruling, the Kerala High Court clarified that restrooms at petrol pumps are not intended for use by the general public.

The judgment was delivered by Justice C S Dias in response to a petition filed by a group representing petroleum traders and several fuel station owners.

The petitioners objected to the classification by the state government and local authorities that labelled the toilets in their premises as public facilities. They argued that the toilets were private and meant exclusively for the emergency use of customers visiting the fuel stations, and not for unrestricted public access.

Agreeing with the arguments made by the pump owners, the court issued an interim directive stating that the state government and the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation should “not insist that the wash rooms in petitioners’ outlets be used by the general public.”

The matter is scheduled for further consideration on July 17.