The Supreme Court on Friday directed the High Power Committee appointed by it to persuade agitating farmers to suspend their protest temporarily, owing to harsh climate conditions or shift their protest from the Shambhu border to ensure smooth traffic movement on the national highway.
Hearing a plea challenging the Haryana and Punjab High Court’s order to unblock the highway, the apex court also directed the Punjab government and Centre to provide medical aid to farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose health has deteriorated due to his fast unto death. The member secretary of the committee informed the court that the matter would be taken up as a preliminary issue in their meeting with farmers and they would file a report.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan observed, “The primary task of the committee is to convince the farmers to either shift the site so that the highway is unblocked or pause the protest for a while because of the harsh weather and let the committee handle it and if the committee cannot handle it they can always resume it,” Bar and Bench reported.
The bench advised senior authorities of governments to meet Dallewal and have a dialogue. The bench directed that Dallewal must not be forced to break his fast “unless it is imperative to save him”.
Farmers have been protesting at the Shambhu border since February after Haryana police blocked their protest march to Delhi citing security reasons. The farmers are seeking a Minimum Support Price for their produce and various other demands. Recently, farmers attempted twice to cross the border, however, security forces stopped them, forcing farmer leaders to suspend the march temporarily.
