No decision on commercial release of GM Mustard yet: Centre

The Central government on Friday told the Supreme Court that so far no decision has been taken on the commercial release of genetically modified (GM) mustard.

Additional Solicitor General P.S. Narasimha conveyed this to a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud in response to petitions by NGO Gene Campaign, Research Foundation for Science and Technology and environmentalist Aruna Rodrigues opposing the release of GM crops.

In the last hearing on July 31, the government had told the court that the final decision on the matter would be taken in September and that plantation was likely to commence in October this year.

Directing the listing of the matter in the second week of September, the top court had said that if the government takes a decision, then it would be placed before it as the plantation of GM Mustard seeds would take place in October only.

--IANS

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