KOCHI: The Kerala High Court has ruled that toilets in petrol pumps cannot be used by the general public. The court stated that only customers visiting the pumps are allowed to use the toilets. The ruling was issued as an interim order.

Justice CS Dias issued the interim order in response to a petition filed by the Petroleum Traders Welfare and Legal Service Society along with five other petroleum retailers. The petition challenged the efforts by the state government and local self-governing bodies to convert petrol pump restrooms into public toilets.

The state government had earlier issued a notification stating that restrooms in private petrol pumps could be used by the general public. However, the court has now directed that the state government and the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation should not compel the petitioners to allow public access to their petrol pump toilets. The court had earlier instructed the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation to submit the guidelines under the Swachh Bharat Mission.