Farmers' Protest: Punjab and Haryana High Court issues notice to Centre, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Central government and the States of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi on petitions related to the ongoing farmers' protest march to the national capital..A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji asked the parties, including the Union and the State governments, to file status reports in the matter.It also advised for amicable resolution of the disputes and suggested identification of areas for holding of protests by the farmers. The Court also found it necessary to implead the Delhi government as a party to the matter."It is not disputed that the right of free passage of the public at large is to be balanced with right of freedom of speech and expression and that none of them existing in isolation can be put-forth so that the general public is not put to any inconvenience," the Court observed..The farmers are marching to Delhi to protest for various demands including enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops.In various parts of Haryana, orders under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) have been passed to restrict the movement of the protesting farmers..Two separate petitions were filed before the High Court on Monday.While one plea sought action against the protesting farmers, the other challenged the Haryana government's action of sealing borders and suspending internet in certain districts..In one of the petitions, Uday Pratap Singh, a resident of Panchkula and also an advocate at the High Court, submitted that the issue pertains to the unlawful sealing of the border between Haryana and Punjab, particularly at Shambhu near Ambala.The plea highlighted that the farmers' proposed 'Delhi Chalo' march on February 13, organized by numerous farmers' unions to press for the enactment of a law to guarantee MSP for crops, is a manifestation of their democratic right to protest peacefully..Additionally, the petitioner expressed concerns over the actions taken by the Haryana authorities, including the suspension of mobile internet services and bulk SMS in several districts such as Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa.These measures exacerbate the situation by depriving citizens of their right to information and communication, the plea said..On the contrary, Advocate Arvind Seth in a separate public interest litigation (PIL) sought directions to the Union and State governments to take preventive measures to maintain law and order throughout Punjab and Haryana in the wake of the protests..[Read Order]