'You are not only conscience keeper, matter being examined': Supreme Court junks plea to clear road blockade caused by farmers' protest

Farmers under the banner of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL for issuing a direction to the central, Punjab and Haryana governments, to clear the blockades on national and state highways occupied by protesters and farmers, saying the matter was already being examined.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Manmohan pointed out one plea in this regard has already been pending before this court, and it cannot entertain repetitive petitions on the same issue.

"This court has already taken some initiatives. Despite this, you file the petition, the impression is someone is here to play to the gallery and filed the petition for the publicity," the bench said.

Advocate for petitioner social activist Gourav Luthra submitted that his prayer is with regard to the plight of commuters, and the agitation that continued even after the court had taken steps to redress the grievances of the farmers.

"We are aware of everything. It is not that the petitioner alone is the conscience keeper of the society and the rest are not aware. Don't file repeated petitions, if you want to assist in pending PIL, you are the most welcome," the bench told the counsel.

Farmers have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13 after they were stopped by security forces.

On September 2, dealing with a separate matter, the Supreme Court had set up a high-powered panel headed by Justice Nawab Singh, a former Punjab and Haryana High Court's 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.

On December 2, 2024, the Supreme Court said in a democratic setup, one can engage in peaceful protests without causing inconvenience to people. It had then asked Punjab's farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, to persuade the protesting farmers to refrain from obstructing highways and causing inconvenience to people.

The PIL by Luthra sought directions to the Punjab, Haryana and central government to remove restrictions on farmers’ protest, and also ensure that all the National Highways and railway tracks are not blocked by the agitating farmers.

It sought direction to Punjab, Haryana and the Centre to open at least the barricades at Shambu Border within a week so as to relieve the general public of inconvenience.

"The States should, however, take effective steps to maintain the law and order situation against the protestors if they exceed the limit set down by the State. All the Kisan Unions should be directed to maintain the law and order. The state of Punjab shall ensure that the demonstrators gathered in their territories are duly controlled," the plea said.

The plea said that the alleged farmers and their unions have blocked the National Highway at the entry point of Punjab ie Shambu for more than one year and recently have blocked National and State Highways in the entire State of Punjab at various locations on October 24, 2024.

"The blockage of State and NHs is a threat to national security as well, as the entire Army movement towards the Northern borders of the country passes through the State of Punjab and the National Highways are blocked at various places in the State of Punjab. Now general public as well as army has to pass through Punjab taking alternative routes through narrow village roads to reach their respective destinations which is a major threat to national security," the plea said.

It also said that people are unable to reach hospitals on time in case of medical emergency, as even ambulances are being stopped from running on National and State Highways in the entire State of Punjab.

Besides, supply of essential goods such as petrol, diesel, LPG gas, milk, vegetables, medicines, etc are being stopped by these alleged encroachers at the entire stretch of National and State Highways of State of Punjab, it said.