Supreme Court Stays Implementation of the Farm Laws, Appoints a Committee to Hear Both Sides

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Jan 12: Taking a firm stand on the issue of the three contentious farm laws, the Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended their implementation and set up a four-member committee of experts to hear the stand of both the farmers and the central government in a bid to resume a fruitful dialogue between the two to break the deadlock.

A three-judge bench of the apex court headed by the chief justice S A Bobde went ahead with the suspension of three acts and the formation of the committee despite the farmers’ unions late Monday evening had issued a statement turning down any suggestion to appear before a Supreme Court committee after the central government made its stand amply clear that it would not repeal the acts.

When told the farmer unions were not willing to appear before the committee, the bench said those “genuinely” interested in finding a solution would come before the committee and give their view points on the issue. “Suspending the farm law can’t be for an empty purpose<” the court observed.

The Chief Justice said the committee was constituted so that the Court could understand the “ground situation”. “We are forming the Committee so that we have a clearer picture. We want to solve the problem. We want to know the ground situation. That is why we are forming the committee,” he said.

“This is not politics. There is a difference between politics and judiciary and you will have to cooperate,” said the bench which besides Bobde comprised judges A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

The court-appointed four-member committee included Jitender Singh Maan, President, Bharatiya Kisan Union; Dr Pramod Kumar Joshi, International policy head; Ashok Gulati, Agricultural Economist; and Anil Dhanvat, Shivkeri Sangathna, Maharashtra. The top court said the committee would decide which parts of the law need to be deleted, and which would remain.

The ruling came on a batch of petitions challenging the validity of the three farm laws that were enacted last September.

The SC also sought response from the Centre on whether a banned organisation had infiltrated the farmers’ protests. The direction came after P S Narasimha, who represented a petitioner supporting the farm laws, claimed members “Sikhs for Justice,” an organization believed to be of independent Khalistan supporters, were helping the protests. The attorney general K K Venugopal told the court that he would file an affidavit with Intelligence Bureau records by Wednesday.

Further, the top court issued notice on the Delhi Police petition seeking to stop the tractor rally planned by farmers on Republic Day.

The Centre and farmer unions have engaged in eight rounds of talks so far, but failed to break the impasse. Their next meeting is scheduled on January 15 but considering the two extreme stands taken by the farmers unions on one side and the central government on the other, a solution to resolve the impasse looked remote. Farmers are also planning to intensify their protests by entering the national capital in a tractor march on Republic Day.

Some of the farmers unions honouring the apex court’s sentiments said the agitating farmers have agreed to send home back elderly and women from the protest venues on the borders surrounding Delhi. The Supreme Court had on Monday asked the protesters why should the elderly and women were allowed to stay outdoors in the biting cold of north India and concerns over possible spread of Coronavirus.

Lashing out at the centre for not doing enough to break the impasse, the apex court on Monday had given the indication that it would order suspension of the implementation of the acts, though not for an indefinite period, if the centre did not hold the acts in abeyance