Stocks of oil refining companies were up on lower-than-expected cut in diesel prices .
Bharat Petroleum Corp gained 1.5 per cent, Hindustan Petroleum Corp rose 1.8 per cent and Indian Oil Corporation gained 0.9 per cent.
IOC has cut the prices of diesel by about 1 per cent or 0.46 rupees ($0.0069) a litre reflecting changes in global fuel prices.
Traders were expecting a cut of Rs 3-4 per litre.
Short-covering was also seen in the stocks of oil refiners, traders added. ($1 = 0.9087 euros)