The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to 43 leaders of various protesting farmers’ organizations over a plea against road blockade.
These farmers’ organisations have been protesting against three farm laws passed by the Parliament in 2020 for the last several months.
The Haryana government filed an application in the Supreme Court to implead 43 farmers’ leaders as additional respondents in a writ petition filed by a Noida resident against the road blockade at Delhi-NCR border as part of the farmers’ protests, said a media report.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh issued the notice to the farmers’ leaders on the basis of the Haryana government’s application to add to the list of respondents.
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The top court posted the petition for hearing on October 20.
As per the report, farmers’ leaders like Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav DarshanPal and Gurnam Singh are among the 43 people as sought to be added by the Haryana government.
Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the Haryana government, submitted before the apex court that the state has constituted a committee for holding talks and the protest leaders refused to come for a meeting which was called.
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“Let notice be issued so that they don’t say that they had no reason to come,” the Solicitor General said and the bench of the court agreed to issue notice.
While hearing the petition on September 30, Justice Kaul made critical observations against the road blockade.
The report quoted Justice Kaul as saying: “Redressal can be through judicial forum agitation or parliamentary debates but how can highways be blocked and this cannot be a perpetual problem.”
Later, the Haryana government filed an application to implead 43 farmers’ organizations and leaders like Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav Darshan Pal and Gurnam Singh.