By S&S Co. Advocates & Solicitors · Published 28 January 2026 · Informational content, not legal advice
About this article: A general explainer prepared by S&S Co. Advocates & Solicitors on a recurring type of dispute. It does not report a specific judgment or order, names no parties and gives no case citation, so it should not be cited as authority. Law and practice change; please verify against the current statute and primary sources before relying on it.
Field trials of genetically modified crops in India are regulated by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), constituted under the Rules for the Manufacture, Use, Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms, Genetically Engineered Organisms or Cells, 1989, framed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Approvals for confined field trials usually carry conditions such as isolation distances, restrictions on the movement of material and post-trial monitoring.
The National Green Tribunal has jurisdiction over substantial environmental questions under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, and approvals can be challenged before it, typically on grounds such as inadequate assessment of biosafety risks, including gene flow to neighbouring crops and wild relatives. Whether interim relief is granted generally depends on whether there is clear evidence that the conditions are inadequate or are being breached.
GM crops have also been before the Supreme Court, which has dealt with GM mustard and directed the preparation of a national policy on GM crops. The current position should be checked before relying on any summary.
Key Points
- Field trials are regulated by the GEAC under the 1989 Rules and attach conditions to each approval.
- The NGT can hear challenges to an approval as a substantial environmental question, but interim relief needs evidence that conditions are inadequate or being breached.
- Compliance records and monitoring visits are what an operator relies on if its conditions are tested.