Farmers’ protest: Supreme Court hearing today over blocked Punjab highways
The Supreme Court will hear on Monday, December 9, a petition filed seeking directions to the Centre and other authorities to clear the blockage of the national and state highways in Punjab, where farmers are protesting for their demands to be met.
Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.
The protesting farmers planned to enter Delhi on December 6 but suspended their march after tear gas firing by police. The ‘Dilli chalo’ protest march resumed on Sunday, December 8 and was halted again due to the same reason.
What the petition says
A petition was filed in the Supreme Court by a social activist from Punjab who sought directions to the Centre and others to remove restrictions on farmers’ protests and to ensure that national highways and railway tracks are not blocked by the agitating farmers.
The plea has alleged that farmers’ and farmer unions have blocked the entire national and state highways in Punjab permanently and for an indefinite period.
A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant is slated to hear the plea on Monday.
“The alleged farmers and their farmer unions have blocked the national highway at the entry point of Punjab i.e. Shambu for more than one year and recently have blocked national and state highways in the entire state of Punjab at various locations on October 24, 2024,” news agency PTI quoted lines from the plea.
The plea alleged the blockage of highways was a threat to national security as the entire Army movement towards the northern borders of the country passes through Punjab.
“People of Punjab and neighbouring states are facing great difficulty as they are unable to reach hospitals on time in case of medical emergency, as even ambulances are being stopped from running on national and state highways in the entire state of Punjab,” the plea said.
It said free movement on highways comes under the fundamental right of the citizen, which is being violated by the farmers by blocking them in the entire state of Punjab.
“The state of Punjab is being targeted by the foreign, external and anti-national forces with the intention to use alleged farmers and farmer unions to de-stable Punjab as Punjab is the backbone of the entire country and has a history of facing many attacks from neighbouring countries,” the plea stated.
