SC to take up GM mustard case challenging Centre's nod from April 15

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A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court on Thursday said it will begin hearing from April 15 pleas challenging the environment ministry's approval for the commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) mustard.

 

The court has told all parties to file their written submissions within a week.

 

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Sudhanshu Dhulia, and Ujjal Bhuyan adjourned the matter after Attorney General R Venkataramani sought time to argue the matter. The court said it wanted to hear the matter at length without disruption and scheduled April 15 and 16 as dates for the hearing.

 

The Supreme Court had on July 23, 2024, given a split verdict on the validity of the Centre's 2022 decision granting conditional approval for the environmental release of GM mustard crop.

 

It, however, gave a unanimous direction that the Centre was required to formulate a national policy on GM crops for research, cultivation, trade, and commerce in the country.

 

The Supreme Court had previously directed the status quo to be maintained on the decision of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) allowing the environmental release of genetically modified mustard for seed production and testing.

 

On October 25, 2022, the GEAC under the Union environment ministry approved the environmental release of transgenic mustard hybrid DMH-11 and the parental lines containing barnase, barstar, and bar genes so they can be used for developing new hybrids.

 

The apex court is hearing separate pleas by activist Aruna Rodrigues and NGO Gene Campaign. They are seeking a moratorium on the release of any genetically modified organisms (GMOs) until there is a comprehensive, transparent, and rigorous bio-safety protocol in the public domain, conducted by independent expert bodies.