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Agencies

Farmers protest: Supreme Court favours negotiation panel, to resume hearing today
17-December-2020

The Supreme Court will resume hearing on a petition seeking removal of farmers from various Delhi border points. A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde on Wednesday observed that if urgent measures are not taken now, then the ongoing farmers' protest may spiral out of the government's hand to become a national issue.

The top court ordered eight farmer unions be made party to the PIL. A joint hearing of the Centre and the farmers' unions will be done on Thursday in a bid to end the impasse. The bench also comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian proposed forming a committee, including the representatives of both the Centre, farmer unions and other relevant stakeholders, to arrive at some acceptable solution.

During the hearing, the bench observed the situation warrants an urgent resolution measures through negotiations, as the agitating farmers at the Delhi borders not appearing to be in a mood to talk. The Chief Justice told Mehta that the government negotiations may fail, therefore, it is necessary to have some farmer unions appear before the court to explain the matter.

The Chief Justice told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, that the government's negotiations may not work. "You should be willing to negotiate and we should have a farmers' union before us," the CJI said.

The apex court in its order gave permission to implead the farmer unions -- Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Rakesh Tikait), BKU-Sidhupur (Jagjeet S. Dallewal), BKU-Rajewal (Balbeer Singh Rajewal), BKU-Lakhowal (Harinder Singh Lakhowal), Jamhoori Kisan Sabha (Kulwant Singh Sandhu), BKU-Dakaunda (Buta Singh Burjgill), BKU-Doaba (Manjit Singh Rai) and Kul Hind Kisan Federation (Prem Singh Bhangu) - in the PILs seeking removal of farmers from Delhi borders.

Mehta told the Supreme Court that the Centre will not do anything against the interest of the farmers and it is willing to address the ongoing impasse by having discussion on clauses in the laws.

He, however, insisted there should an open-minded discussion, and the farmers union should not insist on repealing the farm laws.

The top court issued notice to the Centre on the PILs seeking removal of farmers, who have blocked various Delhi borders. The petitioner, during the hearing, cited the top court order in the Shaheen Bagh matter, where it had said that the "protesters cannot block public roads".

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, are currently staying put at Delhi's borders with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in protest against the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. They have expressed apprehension that these laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporations. However, the government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. The government argues that the three farm laws will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.