Supreme Court to begin hearing on GM mustard release in April

Supreme Court to begin hearing on GM mustard release in April

Supreme Court to begin hearing on GM mustard release in April ByAbraham Thomas Mar 06, 2025 04:38 PM IST Share Via Copy Link The petitions informed the court that the split judgment delivered on July 23, 2024 although differed on the conclusions with regard to grant of approval to the open air release of GM mustard

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court will begin hearing in April a clutch of petitions challenging the permission given for commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) mustard, after the approval granted by the Centre for its environmental release ended in a split verdict by the top court in July 2024.

The hearing will take place on April 15 and 16. (Representative file photo)

Setting the dates for the hearing to take place on April 15 and 16, a bench headed by justice Abhay S Oka said, “Files are too many in this case. Once we sit, we will continue and finish off the hearing. We don’t want any discontinuation in the hearing of the case.”

The petitions filed by NGO Gene Campaign, Research Foundation for Science Technology and activist Aruna Rodrigues, informed the court that the split judgment delivered on July 23, 2024 although differed on the conclusions with regard to grant of approval to the open air release of GM mustard, they had agreed on several issues, which is not mentioned in the common order issued pursuant to their decision.

The bench, also comprising justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ujjal Bhiuyan, directed the lawyers appearing on both sides to prepare a common compilation for documents and judgments to make it convenient for the bench to refer.

Also Read: Charting a sustainable future for India’s GM crop policy: An urgent need for clarity and consensus

Attorney general R Venkataramani appearing for Centre along with solicitor general Tushar Mehta and additional solicitor general (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati informed the court that pursuant to the last judgment, discussions are going on at the highest level.

The split verdict by justices BV Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol had agreed on the need to develop a national policy for GM crops by involving the concerned stakeholders within four months.

However, on the issue whether the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) was right in ordering field trials of GM mustard crop (DMH-11), Justice Nagarathna struck down the October 2022 approvals based on flaws in the procedure adopted and its failure to account for the health and environmental impact.

Justice Karol, on the other hand, upheld the GEAC decision with a rider that the field trial of GM mustard should be carried out under strict monitoring to prevent contamination.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for one of the petitioners suggested that since a special bench has been constituted after a very long time, the court may begin hearing the petitioners and the Centre could be heard on the next date of hearing.

The court pointed out that even if the hearing begins, it cannot be concluded this month.

The petitions sought the court’s intervention to further strengthen the regulatory framework for assessing risks posed by genetically modified organisms (GMO).