The Supreme Court on Monday constituted a high-powered committee to hold negotiations with the farmers protesting at the Shambhu border between the States of Punjab and Haryana.
The Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan passed the order on a petition filed by the State of Haryana against an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to remove the blockade at the Shambhu border, erected by the Haryana government to prevent the protesters from marching to Delhi.
The Apex Court directed the Committee to reach out to the protesting farmers to remove their tractors, trolleys and other accessories from near the Shambhu border at the National Highway, enabling the administration of the two states to open the national highway for general public.
It further directed the committee to place on record the formulated issues within one week after consulting the farmers.
The Bench granted liberty to the agitators to shift their protest to an alternate site identified by the authorities.
Observing that the stir must not be politicised, the Apex Court directed the peasants to stay away from political parties.
It observed that a sizeable population of agricultural communities in the two states belonging to marginalised communities was living below the poverty line. The farmers deserved empathy, noted the Bench, while setting up the constitution of a neutral committee under the Chairmanship of Justice Nawab Singh, former Judge of the Punjab & Haryana High Court.
Members of the committee are PS Sandhu, IPS Retired, former DG of Haryana; Devender Sharma, Professor of Eminence at GNCT Amritsar; Dr Sukhpal Singh, Agricultural Economist from Punjab Agriculture University; Special Invitee – Professor BR Kambhoj, Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Agriculture University , Hisar.
The Apex Court directed the Chairperson of the committee to appoint a member secretary to coordinate meetings and maintain records, as well as formulate the issues by convening a meeting along with the states of Punjab and Haryana.
The state administration has apprised the Court by way of an affidavit about the creation of allocated sites where the farmers shall be shifted for a peaceful agitation, it noted.
Expressing that the Court endeavoured to compose a body of persons who were well-aware of the ground realities of the farmers in the states, the top court of the country reiterated the need to restrain political interference in the matter.
The Apex Court said it has tried to make a balanced composition by constituting a body of persons who were well-aware of the ground reality of both states.
The farmers had genuine issues, which should be dealt by a neutral body. Nobody else should be allowed to unnecessarily rake up the issues in a democratic set-up, where everybody was allowed to raise their voice, added the Bench.
The Haryana government had moved the Apex Court against Punjab and Haryana High Court’s direction to unblock the Shambhu Border between the States of Punjab and Haryana.
The border was closed in February this year due to farmers’ protests, raising demands such as a statutory guarantee for the Minimum Support Price for crops.
Earlier, the two states had submitted a list of names of persons to the Supreme Court, who could be included in the panel proposed to be formed by the Court to hold negotiations with the protesters and the government.
The Court had further directed the Director Generals of Police of Punjab and Haryana, along with the Senior Superintendents of Police of Patiala and Ambala, and Deputy Commissioners of both districts, to hold a meeting to lay down the modalities for partial opening of the highway.
This was for some essential purposes, including for ambulances, senior citizens, women, students, and any commuters of the nearby area.
Earlier on August 22, the Bench had asked the two states to submit proposed issues that should be the subject matter of reference for the Committee. It was clarified that the reference to the committee would be a wider mandate so that the issues, which were time and again causing law and order problems, could be amicably resolved in a fair and just manner.
The High Court had earlier ordered the Haryana government to unblock Shambhu border, which was closed in February this year to prevent the movement of protesting farmers from Punjab to Haryana.