NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that its doors remain open to suggestions or demands from protesting farmers, either directly or through authorized representatives.
This comes after the Punjab government informed the court about its ongoing but unsuccessful attempts to mediate with Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a farmer leader on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border, and other protesting farmers.
Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh told a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan that while the state had held multiple discussions with the farmers, they declined to engage with the high-powered committee constituted by the apex court in September. The committee, led by retired Punjab and Haryana high court judge Justice Nawab Singh, invited the farmers to meet on December 17, but the invitation was declined.
“We clarify that the court’s doors are always open to any suggestion or demand by farmers directly or through their authorized representative,” the bench said.
It also expressed concern for Dallewal’s deteriorating health and directed the Punjab government to ensure immediate medical aid.
Farmers reject SC-appointed committee
The protesting farmers have dismissed the Supreme Court-appointed committee, citing its failure to address their grievances promptly. Sarwan Singh Pandher, general secretary of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, stated that the unions at the Khanauri border had collectively decided not to engage with the committee.
“Now, if there will be talks, it will be with the central government, if the central government wants to talk,” Pandher said, pointing out that the farmers had lost confidence in the committee.
In a letter to Justice Nawab Singh, Dallewal questioned the committee’s insensitivity, saying, “Was this committee waiting for my demise?”
Dallewal and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) declared that future discussions would only involve the central government.
The farmers intensified their agitation on Wednesday with a three-hour ‘Rail Roko’ protest, disrupting train services at multiple locations across Punjab.
Organized by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, the protests sought to pressure the central government into addressing demands such as a legally binding minimum support price (MSP) for crops, debt waivers, pensions for farmers and laborers, and withdrawal of police cases.
Protest sites included Moga, Faridkot, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Patiala, Mohali, and Sangrur. Farmers have also been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February, demanding action on issues ranging from the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, to compensation for families of farmers who died during earlier agitations.