<h1>Sale, manufacture, distribution and import of GM food barred until mandatory Section 22 regulations are framed and notified</h1> A high court restrained the national food regulator and the genetic engineering approval committee from permitting sale, manufacture, distribution or import of any genetically modified food or edible items until mandatory regulations under Section 22 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 are framed and notified. The court, allowing a public interest petition that highlighted admitted gaps in regulatory standards, directed the central government and the regulator to draft and notify those regulations within six months following the Act's procedure, ordered a halt to imports of GM food, and tasked customs authorities with ensuring strict compliance.