Agriculture laws have been banned, what are you opposing: Supreme Court
Three new agricultural laws have already been put on hold, the Supreme Court said on Monday and asked a farmers’ body what it was opposing when these laws are not there. A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar observed that when one of the parties has already moved the court challenging the validity of the laws, where is the question of going on the protest.
When Attorney General KK Venugopal referred to the Lakhimpur Kheri incident in which eight people were killed on Sunday, the bench said that no one takes responsibility for such incidents.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that once the matter is before the Supreme Constitutional Court, no one can be on the streets on the same issue.
The top court was hearing a petition filed by a farmers’ body opposing three new agricultural laws and seeking a direction to the authorities to allow them to hold ‘satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar here.
The ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’, the farmers’ and farmers’ body, and its president also sought directions to the concerned authorities to provide space to at least 200 farmers or body’s protesters at Jantar Mantar to organize peaceful and non-violent ‘satyagraha’ Is.
The bench, which posted the matter for hearing on October 21, transferred to itself the petition, which was filed by the farmers’ body, before the Rajasthan High Court challenging the validity of the three agricultural laws.
Many farmer organizations are opposing the passage of three laws – Farmer Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Agriculture Service Act, 2020.
Initially, the protest started from Punjab in November last year and later spread mainly to Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
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