New Delhi: Supreme Court (SC) on Friday asked the farmers what is the use of protesting if they have already approached courts challenging the controversial three farm law. It further asked if the farmers did not have faith in judicial system.
“If you have faith in courts, pursue that for urgent hearing instead of protesting. Are you protesting against the judicial system also? Are you protesting against the judicial system also?” the court asked.
SC lashed out at farmers’ group when the farmers’ body, Kisan Mahapanchayat, had sought permission from the Supreme Court to hold a ‘Satyagrah’ at Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in the heart of Delhi. The group sought the top court’s direction to the authorities to provide space to at least 200 farmers or protestors at the Jantar Mantar for organising a peaceful and non-violent ‘Satyagrah’.
SC said that the protests are causing inconvenience to the citizens by blocking the roads, “You block highways and then say protest is peaceful. Citizens also have their rights to move around. Their properties are being damaged. You are affecting security also. You stopped defence personnel also,” Justice Khanwilkar said.
Farmers’ protest is strangulating the city the SC said, “”You have strangulated the entire city, now you want to come inside the city. The residents around, are they happy with the protest? This business should stop,” a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar said.
“We have not blocked highways. The police has detained us there,” the lawyer representing the farmers’ body told the Supreme Court.
The court asked the group to file an affidavit saying they are not a part of the protest that is “blocking the national highways”.
In July, farmers, led by two other groups – Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) – held a massive protest at Jantar Mantar amid the monsoon session of parliament.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
