Deepak Pental

New Delhi, Nov. 25: Former Delhi University vice-chancellor and senior plant biologist Deepak Pental was released on bail this evening after several hours in custody under charges that he had violated laws that regulate genetically modified (GM) plants.

Justice S. Murlidhar of Delhi High Court ordered Pental’s release hours after V.K. Gautam, an additional chief metropolitan magistrate in a Delhi court, directed his arrest this afternoon. The charge was that he had breached rules that govern experimental research on GM plants.

Gautam had acted at the Tis Hazari court in response to complaints filed in 2009 by P. Pardha Saradhi, a professor of environmental studies at Delhi University.

Pardha Saradhi had alleged that Pental had in collusion with a research scholar stolen GM mustard plants from Pardha Saradhi’s lab and used them without permission from the university’s institutional bio-safety committee (IBSC) and another regulatory body.

Indian laws require scientists to take permission from the IBSC and a Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation under the department of biotechnology. Pardha Saradhi has claimed Pental had not sought these approvals.

Pental told The Telegraph tonight that all the allegations against him were baseless.

“There is nothing in these allegations, but the court has to say this. My saying this has no value,” Pental said, declining to discuss details of the case.

In his complaints, Pardha Saradhi had alleged that Pental had hired a scholar, K.V.S.K. Prasad, who had completed his PhD under Pardha Saradhi, as a post-doctoral researcher.

Prasad, according to Pardha Saradhi’s complaint, stole drought-resistant GM mustard plants developed by Pardha Saradhi between 1995 and 1999 in the Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, and used them for research with Pental in Delhi University between 2000 and 2004.

The earlier research by Pardha Saradhi had been supported by the department of science and technology (DST) under an India-Japan science cooperation initiative. Work by Pental’s research group between 2000 and 2004 was also funded by the DST under an independent scheme.

Pardha Saradhi, who moved to Delhi University in 2001, has also claimed that the final project report of Pental’s research group, submitted to the DST after 2004, contained text plagiarised from Pardha Saradhi’s own project report submitted to the funding agency in 2000.

“I approached the court after I realised Delhi University wasn’t going to do anything about my complaints,” said Pardha Saradhi, who had initially complained to authorities at Delhi university.