Before considering an interim recommendation for a 10-year moratorium on field trials of genetically modified food crops, the Supreme Court on Monday decided to seek the views of all stakeholders, including the agriculture ministry and the GM crop industry, on the contentious issue. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for PIL petitioner Aruna Rodrigues, requested a bench of Justices Swatanter Kumar and S J Mukhopadhaya to order suspension of all field trials of GM food crops in the rabi season based on the recommendation of the court-constituted Technical Expert Committee. [...] Despite the petitioner’s strong opposition, the court allowed the Association of Biotech-led Enterprises, of which leading GM seed producer Monsanto is a member, to place its views on the TEC’s recommendations.