Farmers Protest | Dallewal Ended Fast, NH Opened After Clearing Protesters : Punjab Govt Informs Supreme Court

The Punjab Government on Friday (March 28) informed the Supreme Court that it has cleared the protesting farmers from the Shambhu and Khanauri borders near Haryana, and cleared the National Highway for free traffic movement.Advocate General of Punjab Gurminder Singh also informed the bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and NK Singh that Jagjit Singh Dallewal, the veteran leader of the protesters, has ended his hunger protest (which started in November last year) today."Mr Dallewal accepted water today and broke fast," AG Singh said.The bench also refused to entertain a contempt petition filed against the Punjab authorities for clearing the protesters in alleged violation of a status quo order passed by the Supreme Court last year. The bench said that it was the Court which has been prodding the Government to open the High Court."We have been telling them to open the Highway. The contempt petition is misconceived", Justice Kant told the Advocate Angrej Singh, representing the contempt petitioner. Following this, the contempt petitioner chose to withdraw the contempt petition.The Court also dropped the contempt proceedings initiated earlier against the Punjab Chief Secretary and the DGP for not taking steps to hospitalise Dallewal, who was sitting on fast then.The Court directed the High Powered Committee, which was constituted by it to hold negotiations with the protesting farmers and the Governments, to file its supplementary report.On the last occasion, the Court adjourned the matter after it was informed that the "discussions" between the protesting farmers and the Union Government are currently going on.In January, this year, there was a breakthrough in the impasse between the Punjab authorities and the protesting farmers after the latter agreed to meet Justice (Retired) Nawab Singh, the Chairperson of the High-Powered Committee.On January 22, the Court was informed that farmers' leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal had accepted medical intervention after the Union initiated talks with the farmers protesting over issues like minimum support price. Dallewal, who has been on hunger strike since November last year, was ordered to be shifted to the medical hospital after his health deteriorated.The farmers started their protest in February last year, raising demands such as statutory protection of Minimum Support Price. The NH borders were blocked by the Haryana Governemnt to prevent the march of farmers to Delhi. The protesters then chose to camp at the NH borders. Last year, the P&H High Court directed the Haryana Government to unblock the Shabmhu border, following which the Haryana Government approached the Supreme Court.Case Details: LABH SINGH v. K A P SINHA AND ANR. CONMT.PET.(C) No. 930-933/2024 in SLP(C) No. 6950-6953/2024;; STATE OF HARYANA AND ANR. v. UDAY PRATAP SINGH AND ORS, SLP(C) No. 6950-6953/2024; THE STATE OF HARYANA AND ANR. v. UDAY PRATAP SINGH AND ORS. SLP(C) No. 15407-15410/2024 [Shambhu border blockade]

Farmers Protest | Dallewal Ended Fast, NH Opened After Clearing Protesters : Punjab Govt Informs Supreme Court

Gursimran Kaur Bakshi

Tags