Supreme Court vacates ban order on GM crops trials

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Wednesday, February 13, 2008 at 2234 hrs The Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted the ban on fresh approvals of genetically modified (GM) crops for field trials.

On September 22, 2006 the apex court bench headed by the then Chief Justice YK Sabharwal had slapped a ban on any fresh approval of GM crops for field trials. This interim order was passed in response to a petition filed by Aruna Rodrigues, PV Satheesh and Rajiv Barua calling for a moratorium on GM crops. Later on October 13, 2006 the apex court made an exception to its ban order and allowed field trials of GM mustard crops on the request of the developer, subject to biosafety norms.

On May 8, 2007, the apex court bench headed by the new Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan further modified the ban order and allowed field trials of GM crops approved by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) till September 2006. It also imposed certain new biosafety norms.

On Wednesday the apex court bench consisting of Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, Justice RV Ravindran and Justice JM Panchal vacated the ban order and allowed the GEAC to approve new GM crops and events for field trials. It said that GEAC should put in place proper guidelines and biosafety norms.

While passing the order the apex court, however, asked the GEAC to invite eminent scientists like the founder director of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Pushp M Bhargava and MS Swaminathan as invities in the meetings for approval of GM crops.

The Advocate for the petitioner, Prashant Bhushan said : "We pleaded that the GEAC in contempt of court order had allowed field trials of a number of GM crops. The field trials have created serious problems of genetic contamination. Russia has already said that it would not import food from India unless it certifies that no GM food crops were grown here. But the Chief Justice was in full praise for GM crops citing its benefits."