On Monday, the Supreme Court addressed the ongoing farmer protests led by Punjab farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, urging a halt to activities that obstruct highways and cause public inconvenience. The court’s appeal came as it disposed of a habeas corpus petition related to Dallewal, who has been actively participating in a fast-unto-death at the Khanauri border to highlight farmers’ grievances.
Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, who are overseeing the case, acknowledged that Dallewal had been briefly detained and then released, noting his efforts to encourage another protester to end his hunger strike. “We have seen that he has been released and he even persuaded a fellow protestor to end his fast-unto-death protest on Saturday,” the bench commented. The justices emphasized the importance of maintaining public order during demonstrations, stating, “In a democratic setup, you can engage in peaceful protests but do not cause inconvenience to people. You all know that the Khanauri border is a lifeline for Punjab.”
The court refrained from passing judgment on the legitimacy of the protest itself but stressed the necessity for protests to be conducted lawfully and without disrupting the daily lives of citizens. Justice Kant suggested that Dallewal could lead by example, guiding his fellow protestors to organize their demonstrations within the bounds of the law and without causing disruptions.
The hearing comes in the backdrop of prolonged protests that began on February 13, when farmers’ marches to Delhi were halted by security forces at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points. The protestors have accused the central government of ignoring their demands, which include a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP), implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm laborers, farm debt waivers, the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation for the families of farmers who lost their lives in the 2020-21 agitations.
The plea for Dallewal’s release was filed after his alleged illegal detention by the Punjab Police, with the leader rejoining the protest shortly after his discharge from the hospital. While the Supreme Court did not entertain Dallewal’s petition fully at this time, it left the door open for future legal recourse, underlining the ongoing legal and civic complexities surrounding the farmer protests in northern India.
