The Hindu : New Delhi News : Court stays fresh field trials of GM crops

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 23, 2006
ePaper

New Delhi

New Delhi

Court stays fresh field trials of GM crops

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday restrained the Centre from granting any fresh approval for field trials of genetically modified organisms in the country until further orders.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice Mr Y.K. Sabharwal also directed the Government to induct scientists and experts into the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), a statutory body for regulating the field trials to examine the issue in depth.

The apex court's stay order would, however, not apply to field trials of GM products, which are already underway such as BT brinjal and BT cotton.

The Bench passed the orders while dealing with a PIL filed by one Ms Aruna Rodrigues, which complained that the GM products being introduced by some of the MNCs posed serious threat to ecology, crops and human lives.

Citing the spate of farmer suicides in Maharashtra's Vidharbha region and other places in the country as an offshoot of the extensive use of GM seeds, the petition had sought a complete ban on their usage.

It was alleged that the GEAC, granted permission for the products in a reckless manner without considering the debilitating effect it would have on the crops and human lives.

The petitioner said the move to allow large-scale field trials of BT brinjal by biotech company Mahyco, an Indian collaborative and partner company of Monsanto, if not checked would lead to untold hardships to the farmers and large-scale destruction of crops.

The Bench would take up the matter for further hearing on October 13.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi