The Supreme Court on Friday directed a high-powered committee set up to address the demands of farmers who had staged a 2024 protest at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana to submit its report and recommendations, noting that the highway blockade has been resolved and traffic is now moving freely.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi observed that the situation at the Shambhu border, where farmers had camped during their agitation, no longer involves obstruction of vehicular movement. In view of this development, the Court indicated that the proceedings could be brought to a close once the committee submits its findings.
“It seems to us that the matter is now ripe to close these proceedings. This can be done after obtaining a report from the high-powered committee containing their brief suggestions, which can then be forwarded to the appropriate authorities,” the Bench said.
The Court directed that the committee’s report-cum-recommendations be filed in a sealed cover and should not be made public until further orders.
The five-member committee, headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nawab Singh, was constituted by the apex court in September 2024 to facilitate an amicable resolution of farmers’ grievances. The farmers had been protesting over multiple demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.
While constituting the panel, the Supreme Court had emphasised that the issues raised by farmers should not be politicised and should be examined in a phased and constructive manner.
The matter reached the apex court during the hearing of a plea by the Haryana government challenging a March 2024 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. That order had directed the state to remove within a week the barricades erected at the Shambhu border near Ambala, where farmers had been camping since February 13, 2024.
The barricades had been installed by the Haryana government on the Ambala–New Delhi national highway after farmer organisations, including the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, announced a march to Delhi in support of their demands.
With traffic now moving normally at the site, the Supreme Court has moved towards closing the proceedings, subject to the receipt of the committee’s sealed report.
