Centre Moves Application in SC Seeking Release of GM Mustard

The Central government has moved an application in the Supreme Court seeking to alter the status quo undertaking given in relation to the release of genetically modified (GM) mustard for seed production and testing.

A bench comprising of Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan was apprised on Tuesday that the oral undertaking was made in November 2022 in the specific context of the matter being listed for final hearing in the following week.

Earlier, the Centre had submitted an oral undertaking before the apex court, though not formally recorded in court's order, saying that it would not take any precipitative steps on the decision made by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) allowing the environmental release of the GM mustard.

Activist Aruna Rodrigues has opposed the environmental release of genetically modified mustard saying that that no one knows about the effect of GM mustard environmental release, which has the potential of contaminating all mustard seeds in the country.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan had stressed that the apex court's technical expert committee had recommended a moratorium of 10 years on field trials of BT transgenics, and in the final report, recommended an indefinite and complete ban on herbicide-tolerant crops.

On October 25, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee allowed the environmental release of GM mustard for seed production and testing.