You Have Strangulated Entire City: What Supreme Court Told Farmers' Body

The Supreme Court came down heavily on a farmers' body that had sought directions to authorities to allow it to stage a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital.

¡°You have strangulated the entire city and now you want to come inside and start protest here again,¡± an irked SC said.

AFP

A bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and C T Ravikumar asked the petitioners why they were continuing with the protest once it has moved the court challenging the farm laws.

The top court was hearing a petition filed by ¡®Kisan Mahapanchayat', a body of farmers and agriculturists, and its president seeking directions to the concerned authorities to provide space to at least 200 farmers or protestors of the body at the Jantar Mantar for organising peaceful and non-violent ¡®Satyagrah'.

Satyagrah in Jantar Mantar

The counsel appearing for the petitioners told the bench that the plea is seeking direction to the concerned authorities to permit them to stage ¡®Satyagrah' at Jantar Mantar.

AP

¡°Tell us one thing, you want ¡®Satyagrah' here, no difficulty. But you have approached the court. Once you have approached the court, have trust in the court and the judicial system that it will decide your case appropriately,¡± the bench said.

The court also asked the petitioners whether they take permission from the residents of the area if they are ¡°happy¡± with their protest.

¡°Their properties are being damaged. Do you take permission from the residents around that whether they are happy with your protest,¡± the apex court said, adding, ¡°This coaxing business should stop¡±.

The petitioner's counsel said the farmers are holding peaceful protest.

BCCL

¡°What is this peaceful protest? You block trains, you block highways and then you say your protest is peaceful and without causing any harm to the public,¡± the bench said.

The counsel said the highways have not been blocked by the farmers, but by the police.

The bench said the farmers' body has come to the court and they also stage protest and block highways due to which public transport system is affected.

Reuters

Ten months and counting

This comes as the protest against the three farm laws - The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 are well into its tenth month.

The protests are led by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) an umbrella body of various farmers organizations, from mostly from Punjab, Haryana and UP.