The Union government on Friday made it clear before the Supreme Court that it is not contemplating filing objections before the European Patent Office to question grant of patent on a variety of wheat to the US agri major Monsanto as experts have opined that it in no way affected the farmers or the agricultural right of India.
This was stated by Additional Solicitor General Mukul Rohatagi before a bench comprising Chief Justice V N Khare, Justice S B Sinha and Justice S H Kapadia, which was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Research Foundation for Science and Technology alleging the complacent attitude of the government in filing its objection to the grant of patent.
Rohtagi said the experts from various ministries including agriculture and forest as well as those from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research held a meeting on the issue and were unanimous that Indian farmers were not even remotely affected by the grant of patent on the variety of wheat which was to be used only in Europe.
The court asked the Centre to put its stand on affidavit and file the same before April 2, the next date of hearing.
The court on February 13 had issued notices to ministries of agriculture, commerce, law, industry and environment on the public interest litigation, which had pointed out that in 1990 Unilever applied for a patent of wheat derived from traditional Indian veriety 'Nap Hal' before EPO.
In 1998, Unilever's wheat division was acquired by Monsanto and five years later the patent on wheat was granted to Monsanto, it had said.
