New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought
response from the Centre on the steps taken by it to regulate
the open field trials of the Genetically Modified (GM) seeds
which has been challenged.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan also
sought the response within four weeks from the government on
the possibility of holding trials relating to GM seeds under
greenhouse conditions.
The petition filed by anti-GM activist Aruna Rodrigues
has contended that the open filed trials have the tendency to
contaminate native plant varieties and it is also not known to
what extent the GM crops cause harm to ecology.
Appearing for Rodrigues, advocate Prashant Bhushan
submitted that rules and norms controlling open field trial
are not sufficient.
The apex court has been monitoring the issue of GM
crops since 2005 and time-to-time it had passed several
directions whenever reports about open air test have been
brought to its notice.
The court asked the Centre to file its stand by way of
an affidavit.
PTI
