Farmers Protests: Punjab and Haryana High Court asks government to report back after meeting with farmers

The Punjab and Haryana High Court was informed on Thursday that representatives of the Central government and the farmers' union are slated to meet this evening (February 15) to resolve various issues raised in the ongoing farmers' protests in Punjab and Haryana. .In view of the same, the bench of Justice Acting Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji asked the government to file status reports in the matter after meeting with the farmers. The Court was dealing with two petitions concerning the ongoing farmers' protests.The Court will hear the matter next on February 20, Tuesday..The farmers have raised various demands including the enactment of a law to guarantee minimum support price (MSP) for crops.As part of the agitation, the farmers had decided to march to Delhi. In response, orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were imposed in various parts of Haryana to restrict the movement of protesting farmers and blocking roads leading to Delhi.All of this led to the filing of two petitions on the issue before the High Court on Monday.In one of the petitions, Uday Pratap Singh, a resident of Panchkula and also an advocate at the High Court, has challenged the restrictions imposed on the protesting farmers, including the sealing of borders and the suspension of the internet. This plea highlighted that the farmers' 'Delhi Chalo' march was a manifestation of their democratic right to protest peacefully.The other plea has sought action against the protesting farmers. This petition, filed by Advocate Arvind Seth, has 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..The High Court 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. In response, the Central government told the Court today that it was open to engaging in a dialogue with the farmers, pursuant to which a meeting with the farmers was scheduled on February 15 (today) at 5 PM.The Punjab government, meanwhile, told the Court that the situation, though tense, was under control. It was also submitted that the State government has no objection to peaceful protests. .In response to earlier directions, certain status reports were also submitted today before the Court. The Haryana government submitted on affidavit that the farmers' protests on national highways would "badly affect the movement of people, goods and essential services." The Haryana government added that it had received reports that tractors may enter Delhi "for a massive protest" that could continue for long, which could disrupt the law and order situation in Delhi. As such, all persons intending to enter Delhi for such purposes may be identified and stopped, it was submitted. It was in view of these aspects that Section 144, CrPC orders were imposed in 20 districts of Haryana, the affidavit added. Several references were also made to the protests held in 2020-21 against the (now scrapped) Farm Laws, which the government submitted had run into losses of "several crores" for the entire area surrounding the National Capital Region. Concerns were raised over protests spilling into violence and policemen being injured in clashes with protestors in certain areas including in Jind District and at the Shambhu border in Ambala District. Six districts in Haryana have been identified for the holding of peaceful protests, the government's affidavit added, namely Yamunanagar, Charkhi Dadri, Kurukshetra, Jhajjar, Panchkula and Karnal. On similar lines, the State of Punjab could also earmark areas for peaceful protests so that normal movement of people, goods and services are not disrupted, it was further proposed. .[Read Order]