Dallewal has ended fast, taken water, Punjab AG informs SC
Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has broken his 123-day fast and accepted water, Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh told the Supreme Court on Friday.
“One more positive fact I want to bring to your notice... With your intervention, Dallewal accepted water today and broke his fast,” the Punjab Advocate General told a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh.
Welcoming the development, Justice Kant said, “Very good… Pray for his good health. We have been saying that he is a genuine farmer leader and he has no political agenda or anything. He (Dallewal) is one person who raises genuine demands (of farmers). There are people who would never like any settlement to take place.”
Dallewal had been on fast unto death since November 26, 2024, to press for farmers’ demands, including 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 the 2020-21 agitation.
In January, Dallewal had agreed to take medical aid without breaking his fast and to hold talks with the Centre on the issues raised by protesting farmers.
SKM disputes govt's claim
Patiala: The SKM (Non-Political) on Friday refuted the Punjab Government's claim that Jagjit Singh Dallewal had ended his 123-day hunger strike. SKM leaders said Dallewal was continuing with his fast. They said Dallewal, who had even stopped taking water since March 19 in protest against the police crackdown at Shambhu and Khanauri, on Friday took a sip of water after detained farmers from Mohali, Shambhu and Khanauri were released.
The Bench also welcomed the reopening of blocked highways at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, saying lakhs of people would benefit from it.
The top court refused to entertain a contempt petition against the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and the Director General of Police of Punjab for alleged wilful disobedience of the court’s July 24, 2024, order to maintain the status quo at the Shambhu border to prevent any "untoward incident".
“We have been telling them (Punjab Government) to open the highways… The contempt petition is misconceived,” Justice Kant told the counsel for petitioner Sehajpreet Singh who chose to withdraw the contempt petition.
It dropped the ongoing contempt proceedings against the Chief Secretary and DGP at this stage “in the light of subsequent events”.
On March 19, many farmer leaders, including Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, were detained by the Punjab Police which also cleared the protest sites at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders, dismantled temporary structures and removed tractor-trailers and vehicles stationed there.
The police forcibly evicted protesting farmers from the two border protest sites, the petitioner alleged.
The Advocate General said the committee appointed by the court to talk to the farmers had done a “commendable job” and that its report should be placed before the court. He said, “Haryana and Punjab for a change are on the same page.”
The Bench asked the high-powered committee and the Punjab Government to submit supplementary/status reports on the issue.
The top court has been hearing the Haryana Government's petition challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's July 10, 2024, order to open the Shambhu border on an experimental basis to prevent inconvenience to the public.
