Farmers’ protest: ‘Let us hope something positive emerges out of it,’ says SC

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed hope that the meeting between farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal and Justice Nawab Singh (retd)-led High-Powered Committee set up by it would yield some positive result.

"Let us hope something positive emerges out of it,” a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice NK Singh said after senior counsel Kapil Sibal informed it on behalf of the Punjab government that the protesting farmers led by Dallewal had agreed to meet during the day the Justice Nawab Singh committee mandated to find an amicable solution.

"Somehow, we have been able to persuade the protesting people to meet Justice Nawab Singh at 3 pm today. We are hopeful that there would be a breakthrough,” Sibal told the Bench, requesting it to take up the matter after some time.

Later, the meeting took place at the Khanauri Border point between Punjab and Haryana where Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death since November 26, 2024 to press for the acceptance of farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price for crops.

Asking the committee and others to inform it of the outcome of the meeting, the Bench adjourned the hearing on a contempt plea against the Punjab Chief Secretary and DGP over medical aid to Dallewal to Friday.

Making it clear that it wanted Dallewal to be shifted to a make-shift hospital set up near the protest site, the Supreme Court had on December 20 left it to the Punjab government authorities to take a call on the issue.

As Dallewal continued to refuse medical help, the top court had on January 2 taken strong exception to a “deliberate attempt” to create an impression that it wanted him to break his fast.

“There is a deliberate attempt in the media by your state government officers to give an impression that the court is pressing him to break the fast. Our direction was not to break his fast. We only said that let his health be taken care of and he can continue his peaceful protest even when he is hospitalised. You have to persuade him from this angle,” it had told Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh.

“Your attitude is that there should be no conciliation. That is the whole problem," Justice Kant told Singh who sought to clarify that the Punjab government was all for conciliation. It had also questioned the Centre for not making a statement that it would consider genuine demands of the protesting farmers.