'Court appointed committee meeting protesting farmers,' Supreme Court to consider matter on Friday

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday decided to examine on January 10 a matter related to medical aid to farmers' leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on hunger strike, as it was informed that the court-appointed committee -- led by Justice Nawab Singh -- is going to meet the farmers during the day.

"Let us hope something positive emerges out of it," a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh orally observed, upon being informed about the meeting by senior advocate Kapil Sibal.

On a request by the counsel, the bench fixed the matter for consideration on Friday.

At the outset, Sibal submitted that the protestors have been somehow managed to meet Justice Nawab Singh, heading the high-powered committee at 3 pm on Monday.

The court asked the committee and others to apprise it of the outcome, before scheduling the matter for consideration on January 10.

On September 2, the Supreme Court had set up a high-powered panel headed by Justice Nawab Singh, a former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, to conduct negotiations with the farmers, holding a sit-in at Shambhu border since February 13 over their various demands including legal guarantee for minimum support price for their produce.

Apart from a legal guarantee for MSP, the farmers demanded implementation of the Swaminathan Commission's recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 and compensation to the families of farmers who died during a previous agitation in 2020-21.

Dallewal has been on an indefinite fast at the Khanauri border since November 26, demanding the Centre to accept the agitating farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) on crops.

A contempt petition was filed by Labh Singh against the failure of the Punjab government to provide medical help to Dallewal, who has been on hunger strike, in terms of the apex court's order of December 20.