SC asks panel to engage with farmers, orders medical aid for Dallewal

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed a court-appointed high-powered panel to engage with protesting farmers to persuade them to temporarily suspend their agitation or relocate it from highways along the Punjab-Haryana border, while ensuring that the well-being of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, whose fast-unto-death entered its 18th day, remains a top priority.

- Utkarsh Anand

A bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan emphasised the constitutional right to protest but urged that it be conducted peacefully in line with "Gandhian principles". The court also highlighted the need to prevent violence and maintain public order.

"Let no force be used. Farmers should also agitate peacefully. Peace must be maintained," the bench observed.

The court took note of Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh's contention that the farmers' blockade of major highways, including the arterial Khanauri-Shambhu stretch, was causing significant economic disruption for the state. "Finances of the state are suffering," Singh informed the bench.

However, the court refrained from issuing directives that it deemed impractical, stating that resolving the underlying cause of the protests is paramount.