Farmers' Protest: SC Likely To Intervene By Forming Committee As Talks With Govt 'Have Not Worked' | 10 Points

Supreme Court on Wednesday indicated that it may form a committee including representatives of the central government and the farmer unions to resolve the concerns as government's negotiations "have not worked apparently till now". Check 10 important and recent updates on farmers' protest.

File Photo: PTI

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought the central government's response over the pleas seeking removal of protesting farmers from Delhi borders. The top court on Wednesday issued a notice to the union government and others for the same.  A batch of petitions had taken to the supreme court seeking removal of farmers who have been at the bordering areas of the national capital in protest against the three new agrarian laws. The petitioners have been directed to make protesting farmer unions parties to the pleas. In a hearing conducted via video conferencing, a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian indicated that SC may form a committee that will include representatives of the central government and the farmer unions to resolve the concerns and issues erupted over the recently passed legislation. "Your negotiations with protesting farmers have not worked apparently till now," the bench told the Centre. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the government will not do anything against the interest of farmers. Multiple pleas seeking authorities to immediately remove farmers from the border were filed complaining that commuters are facing hardships due to the road blockades and expressing fear that the gatherings may lead to an increase in the number of Coronavirus cases. The matter has been posted for hearing on Thursday.

Here Are 10 Important & Recent Updates On Farmers' Protest:

• • SC may form a committee that will include representatives of the central government and the farmer unions to resolve the concerns and issues erupted over the new agrarian laws. "This will soon become a national issue and with Government it won't work out it seems," the top court is reported to have stated as the reason.

• • The protesting farmers have blocked the Chilla border linking Delhi and Noida again. It had re-opened on December 13. The Noida-Delhi link road had been blocked since December 1 due to the farmers' sit-in demonstration.

• • India has downgraded political relations with Canada and postponed the meeting between the foreign minister's secretary, Riva Ganguly Das, and her Canadian counterpart. The reason given was inconvenience regarding the scheduled dates. However, Justin Trudeau's comment on the ongoing farmers' protest is also being speculated as a reason.

• •  Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that the Cabinet has taken the decision to help farmers directly by depositing money of subsidy into their accounts. The subsidy will be given on 60 lakh tonnes of sugar exports at the rate of Rs 6000 per tonne."It will help 5 crore farmers and 5 lakh workers in various sugar mills. Farmers will get 3 credits - within one week farmers will get Rs 5,361 cr, Rs 18,000 cr of export running to be credited to their accounts to the extent of their dues and Rs 3500 cr, the subsidy decided today," - Prakash Javadekar said.

• • On December 20, there will be tribute meetings in villages across the country for farmers who have lost their lives during the agitation.

• • • AAP MP Bhagwant Mann and SAD lawmaker Harsimrat Kaur Badal slammed the BJP-led central government for not convening Parliament's winter session, saying the Centre was "running away" from its responsibility to resolve grievances of farmers.
    • Badal, who had resigned as union minister over the farm laws issue, demanded that a special one-day session be held at the earliest to repeal the three laws as per the wishes of the farming community.

• • Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked all his cabinet ministers to explain the benefits of the new agricultural laws during their public interactions, meetings and programmes among the people.

• •  Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Sing Badal called BJP the real "Tukde Tukde Gang" of the country as he tweeted, "BJP is the real #TukdeTukdeGang in the country. It has smashed national unity to pieces, shamelessly inciting Hindus against Muslims & now desperate setting peace-loving Punjabi Hindus against their Sikh brethren esp farmers. They're pushing patriotic Punjab into communal flames".

• • Protesting farmers at Singhu border revealed that there's lack of cleanliness at the site. "Administration is totally at fault for not providing water in washrooms here. We'll die of diseases but we won't leave till our demands are met," says Bhaag Singh, a farmer from Sangrur, Punjab.

• • A corporate tussle ensued amid the ongoing farmer's protest, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio approached the Telecom Regulator Authority of India (TRAI) seeking actions against its counterparts Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for reportedly carrying out unethical and anti-competitive mobile number porting campaign, claiming that its rivals have spread "false" rumours that the Mukesh Ambani-led company will benefit from the new agrarian laws.

(With Inputs From Agencies)