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Basel court moves forward in landmark case against Syngenta over pesticide poisoning in India

By A Representative 
In a historic step toward corporate accountability, the Basel Civil Court has advanced proceedings against Swiss agrochemical giant Syngenta, agreeing to assess evidence in a civil lawsuit brought by three Indian plaintiffs—two widows and a survivor—from Yavatmal, Maharashtra. The case stems from the 2017 mass poisoning linked to Syngenta’s pesticide Polo, which is banned in the EU and Switzerland but still sold in India.
Filed in June 2021 under Swiss product liability law, the case represents the first civil lawsuit from the Global South against a multinational agrochemical company for pesticide-related harm. It is supported by ECCHR, Public Eye, and PAN India and spearheaded legally by the Zurich-based law firm Schadenanwälte.
The court’s earlier decision to grant legal aid to the plaintiffs in June 2022 suggests it views the claims as credible—a move seen as a powerful message about Swiss courts’ willingness to examine the global impact of domestic companies.
The case shines a spotlight on the double standards in global pesticide trade and raises urgent questions about transnational corporate responsibility for human rights violations along supply chains. Its outcome could influence legal strategies for other affected communities worldwide.

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