Madras high court disposes petition on BT brinjal

The Madras high court today disposed of a petition seeking to declare as null and void the approval for commercial release of Bt Brinjal after the additional solicitor general M Ravindran produced a statement from the environment and forests ministry stating that it has been put on hold.

The statement issued yesterday said it had been decided to adopt 'a cautious, precautionary and principled based approach and to impose a moratorium on the release of Bt Brinjal.'

It said the moratorium would continue till independent scientific studies established to the satisfaction of both the public and professionals the product's safety.

Ravindran also told a division bench of chief justice HL Gokhale and justice KK Sasidharan, that the petitioner was at liberty to file an appeal against the release of the strain with the ministry.

K Thiruthanikachalam, a Siddha medicine practitioner and Editor of a Tamil monthly magazine devoted to environment and health, had claimed that several experts in the field had opined 'the release would invite a serious risk for human and animal health'. Recording Ravindran's submission, the Judges disposed of the petition.