ILNS: The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the state governments of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, asking them why they have let the agitators block roads for a long time, causing inconvenience to people.
Hearing a plea filed by a woman resident of Noida, seeking direction to ensure that the roads between Noida and Delhi are kept clear so that the passage is not affected, the bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hemant Gupta said that there should be free flow of traffic on roads.
The court issued notices to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh government and asked them to respond to the issue, while slating the matter to April 19 for further hearing.
“We are not concerned about the larger issue of how you deal with the protests, but the public streets should not be blocked. Right to protest is to be exercised as per the previous orders of this court,” observed the Court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the states of Haryana and UP, requested for their impleadment in the case, which was allowed by the Court.
On March 29, 2021, the Supreme Court had issued notice to the Central Government and the Delhi Police Commissioner to ensure that the road area was kept clear so that the passage from one place to the other was not affected.
Thousands of protesting farmers from Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh have been camping at the Delhi borders for several months and blocked roads, highways, and crucial traffic movement.
As the farmers await a resolution to the demands of complete roll back of the three farm laws by the Centre, traffic movement at the Delhi borders continues to suffer.
Petitioner Monicca Agarwaal, who appeared in person, submitted to the Court that she stayed in Noida and had to commute to Delhi in connection with her marketing job. She said despite various directions passed by the Court to keep the roads clear, the same had not happened. Further, being a single mother with medical issues, it had become a nightmare for her to travel to Delhi, she added.