Supreme Court reviews GM rice contempt plea, Census caste SOP and flawed CEC petition

The Supreme Court considered several regulatory and institutional matters on Monday, taking up verification procedures under Census 2027, an urgent request over genetically modified basmati rice approvals, and procedural compliance in an opposition challenge against the Election Commission.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana dealt with the matters as the court reinforced the need for clear institutional safeguards across governance and administrative processes.

What happened in the GM basmati rice plea

Advocate Prashant Bhushan appeared before the bench to request an urgent listing of contempt petitions concerning genetically modified crops. The plea, filed by activist Aruna Rodrigues, argues that herbicide-tolerant basmati rice varieties have been released in breach of earlier court directions.

Bhushan submitted that the petitions stem from the Supreme Court's July 2024 judgment delivered by a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Sanjay Karol. That verdict directed the Centre to formulate a comprehensive national policy on GM crops through wide stakeholder consultations before clearing environmental releases.

The contempt application alleges that herbicide-tolerant basmati varieties marketed as RobiNOweed were commercially released in May 2024, followed by gene-edited varieties DRR Rice 100, sold as Kamla, and Pusa DST Rice 1 in May 2025. Bhushan told the court that the contempt plea should be listed before a regular bench because it remains separate from the pending reference on GM mustard.

Census 2027 caste verification SOP

On the administrative front, the same three-judge bench asked the Centre to spell out verification mechanisms for caste particulars in Census 2027. Hearing a public interest litigation filed by Delhi-based activist Aakash Goel, the court observed that standard operating procedures are necessary to prevent bogus certificates from diluting welfare measures meant for genuine beneficiaries.

Senior advocate Mukta Gupta, representing the petitioner, argued that accurate documentation is essential because census statistics directly influence policy priorities, statutory reservations and welfare allocations under constitutional provisions. Without issuing formal notice, the bench directed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to seek instructions and submit a note explaining the verification framework within two weeks.

Petitions before the Supreme Court bench and registry

Procedural defects flag opposition plea against CEC

Separately, the Supreme Court registry flagged 14 procedural defects in a petition filed by INDIA bloc leaders against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The opposition plea questioned the special intensive revision of electoral rolls and sought independent judicial scrutiny of Election Commission operations.

The registry noted basic filing deficiencies, including illegible or missing pages, a shortfall of Rs 220 in the requisite court fee, and the lack of a clear identity card copy for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who joined Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders among the co-petitioners. The matters reflect the court's strict insistence that legal challenges satisfy baseline statutory criteria and rigorous institutional documentation before being taken up.