Group close to India's ruling party seeks change in patent act after pro-Monsanto court verdict

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A nationalist group close to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party said on Tuesday it would seek a legislative amendment to the rules governing patents, after the country's top court ruled in favor of Monsanto's cotton seed patent.

The Supreme Court allowed Monsanto to claim patents on its genetically modified cotton seeds in the world's biggest producer of the fiber, overturning a decision of a lower court.

"There is a need for the government to look into this whole issue and make an amendment in the law forbidding these companies from charging a patent amount," Ashwani Mahajan, National Co-Convener of Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, told Reuters.

Reuters could not immediately contact India's agricultural ministry.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Krishna N. Das)