Last minute reprieve protects White Plains gas station

A White Plains gas station that was ordered to vacate the premises by June 30 has won a reprieve that allows it to continue pumping gas for now.

U.S. District Court Judge Philip M. Halpern granted a restraining order on June 28 that stops BP Products North America Inc. “from disturbing the status quo” of  Ranjit Singh’s Bajaj Gas and Convenience Inc. until at least July 12.

Bajaj Gas operates a gas station and convenience store at the corner of Tarrytown and Aqueduct roads near Central Avenue.

Singh began operating the business in 2010, initially as a Getty gas station and then selling BP products.

Singh immigrated from India in 1985, when he was 25 years old, went to work as a gas station attendant at a Texaco station in Port Chester and worked his way up to manager.

He invested $175,000, his family’s “life savings,” according to court papers, to lease the White Plains property from Getty and to sell Getty gas.

He describes the venture as a “true family business,” where he and his wife, Gagan, worked 12-hour days “and everyone chipped in to ensure its success.”

Singh claims he effectively lost his investment in 2012 because Getty had filed for bankruptcy protection and he could no longer sell its products.

BP stepped in, subleasing the property, according to Singh, and offering a “take-it-or-leave-it” deal. Singh could either walk away from his business empty-handed, or invest in a new deal on BP’s terms.

The transition was successful, according to Singh. Store and gasoline sales increased, and BP awarded multiple “Best Site” awards to Bajaj Gas.

The current lease, Singh says, was supposed to expire in 19 months, on Jan 31, 2026.

But on April 1, according to court records, Singh was told that Chestnut Petroleum Distributors — operator of many gas stations and markets in the region — had purchased the property or the underlying ground lease. On May 9, BP terminated Singh’s agreements, as of June 30.

Singh sued BP in Westchester Supreme Court on June 21, for violating the federal Petroleum Marketers Protection Act, breach of contract, and other causes of action.

The case was moved to federal court on June 26, at BP’s behest.

Judge Halpern’s orders also bar BP from taking any action to oust Bajaj Gas from the property or disturb its rights to sell BP products, and requires BP to continue delivering gas while the case in pending.

Singh and Bajaj Gas are represented by White Plains attorneys Susan E. Galvao and Adam Rodriguez of Bleakley Platt & Schmidt. BP is represented by Manhattan attorney David A. Landman.