The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday (February 13) has taken a proactive step by issuing notices to the Centre, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi governments, calling for a detailed status report on the matter.
In an ongoing farmers’ protests, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday (February 13) has taken a proactive step by issuing notices to the Centre, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi governments, calling for a detailed status report on the matter. This move comes in response to petitions highlighting the challenges and disruptions caused by the protests, particularly focusing on the farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ march scheduled for February 13. The march, organized by various farmers’ unions, aims to advocate for the enactment of a law guaranteeing Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, underscoring the farmers’ democratic right to peaceful protest.
The bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji, emphasized the need for an amicable resolution to the disputes. It suggested that identifying specific areas for holding protests could be a constructive way forward, ensuring that the farmers’ voices are heard without causing undue disruption to the public. Furthermore, the court deemed it necessary to include the Delhi government as a party to the proceedings, recognizing the interconnected nature of the issue across state lines.
The petitions, one of which was filed by Uday Pratap Singh, a Panchkula resident and advocate at the High Court, shed light on the unlawful sealing of the border between Haryana and Punjab, particularly at Shambhu near Ambala. Singh’s plea underscores the farmers’ march as an exercise of their democratic right to protest peacefully, aiming to draw attention to their demands and grievances.
Moreover, the petitioner raised concerns over the measures taken by the Haryana authorities in response to the protests, including the suspension of mobile internet services and bulk SMS in several districts such as Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, and Sirsa. These actions, according to the plea, exacerbate the situation by depriving citizens of their fundamental right to information and communication, highlighting the broader implications of the authorities’ response to the protests.
This judicial intervention by the Punjab and Haryana High Court marks a critical juncture in the ongoing farmers’ protests, signaling a judicial acknowledgment of the complexities surrounding the right to protest, the need for peaceful resolution, and the importance of maintaining open channels of communication. As the court awaits status reports from the involved parties, the direction in which these developments will steer the discourse around farmers’ protests and their impact on public life and governance remains to be seen.
