The Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to keep in abeyance the contempt proceedings against Punjab government officials after noting significant medical and dialogue advancements involving farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike. Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan observed that the Central government’s intervention has led to a constructive dialogue with the protesting farmers, with further talks scheduled for February 14, 2025, in Chandigarh.
Dallewal, who has been fasting for approximately 50 days as part of a protest at the Khanauri border, has begun receiving medical attention without breaking his fast. His health has shown improvement, and he has moved to a makeshift hospital near the protest site. This development came after a high-level delegation from the Central government met with him and other farmer leaders to discuss their demands, which include a legal guarantee for the minimum support price for crops.
The court emphasized the positive nature of these discussions and expressed satisfaction with the government’s efforts to engage with the farmers. “Various positive developments have taken place. The government of India sent a high-level delegation which met with Dallewal and other farmer leaders. It appears both sides have agreed to have a dialogue and resolve the issue in Chandigarh on February 14, 2025,” the bench noted in its order.*
In light of these developments, the court has postponed further hearings on the contempt plea and advised Dallewal to attend a comprehensive medical check-up at PGI, Chandigarh, ahead of the next meeting to ensure his health allows effective participation in the discussions.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh informed the court about the acceptance of medical intervention by Dallewal and other protesting farmers following the January 18 meeting with the government’s representatives. Approximately 100 farmers who were also on an indefinite fast have since broken their fast and accepted medical help.
The dialogue process is set to continue with a scheduled meeting on February 14 at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute in Chandigarh, which both the farmers and government officials hope will lead to a resolution of the issues at hand.
