Farmers Protest: Punjab and Haryana High Court refuses urgent hearing request by Centre, Haryana as farmers resume march

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today refused to urgently list for hearing a matter related to the ongoing protest march of farmers to Delhi, a day after it adjourned the case to February 29 [Uday Pratap Singh v Union of India].Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Satya Pal Jain and Haryana Advocate General Baldev Raj Mahajan on Wednesday morning made a mentioning for urgent listing of the matter as the farmers today resumed their march to Delhi to demand a minimum support price (MSP) for various crops.However, the division bench of Acting Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerjee refused to make any urgent intervention to stop the farmers' movement towards the national capitalASG Jain confirmed to the Bar & Bench that the oral mentioning was declined. However, he clarified that no application had been moved by the Union of India for urgent hearing of the matter..Ahead of the protest march of farmers, two Public Interest Litigations (PILs) had been moved before the High Court on February 12.While one of the PILs challenged the restrictions imposed by Haryana government on the protesting farmers, the other sought the Court's intervention to maintain law and order in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.The High Court had issued notice in the matter to the Central government and the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi on February 13.During earlier hearings, the Court had urged for a dialogue between the government and the protesting farmers..During the hearing on Tuesday, the Centre sought time to apprise the Court about the outcome of the meetings held between farmer leaders and the union ministers. According to news reports, the talks remained inconclusive. Resultantly, the farmers have resumed their march to Delhi. The Indian Express reported that "several farmers were injured as the Haryana Police dropped tear gas shells at the Shambhu and Khanauri border on Wednesday afternoon"..Meanwhile, Haryana government had informed that Court yesterday that sites have been identified in 18 districts for holding of peaceful agitation by the farmers. It said the protestors can apply for permission and the competent authority will decide the same in accordance with the law.Meanwhile, the data presented by the Punjab Police to the Court revealed that around 13,000 to 13,500 protestors would gather at Shambhu border, District Patiala during the day time. The same number would decrease to 11,000-11,500 during night time.At Khanauri border in District Sangrur, around 4,500-4,600 would gather during day time and 3,700-3,900 during night time along with tractor-trollies and other vehicles, according to the Punjab Police..The Court was also told that necessary directions have been issued to the police officers to maintain law and order situation at Shambhu and Khanauri borders.Punjab government also submitted that necessary directions were issued to gazetted police officers on February 15 to prevent machines like JCBs from moving towards Patiala and Sangrur districts, and set up round-the-clock checkpoints on roads leading to these two districts..[Read Order]