Farmers' protest: Supreme Court suspends implementation of 3 farm laws

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has suspended the implementation of three farm laws until further orders. The apex court is to pronounce its order soon on the petitions challenging the validity of the three newly enacted farm laws as farmer's protest entered the 48th day on Tuesday.

"We are concerned about protecting life and property of citizens", said SC during the hearing.

SC said that it has the power to suspend the legislation in order to solve the problem. "No power can prevent us from making a committee to resolve the impasse on new farm laws", the court said.

The court also sought the cooperation of farmers' unions, saying that "those who genuinely want resolution, will go to the committee" on farm laws.

CJI also gave certain names to form a committee to resolve the issue. Agricultural economist Ashok Gulati, Harsimrat Mann of Bharatiya Kisan Union, Dr Pramod Joshi and Anil Dhanawat are the names mentioned by the CJI as the Committee members.

SC also warned the farmer unions saying, "This is not politics. There is a difference between politics and judiciary and you will have to cooperate".

Meanwhile, according to agency reports, earlier All India Kisan Sabha General Secretary Hannan Mollah on Tuesday said that the farmer organisations respect the Supreme Court but they are unwilling to go before any committee which may be appointed by the apex court.

"These acts are not in favour of farmers, so we are demanding to repeal it", he further clarified

When asked about the suggestions of the Supreme Court to stay and appoint a committee to look into the matter, he reacted, "The government will not discuss the issue of repealing the laws as seen during eight rounds of talks".

"The government wants to linger the matter. We are not in favour of putting the implementation of new farm laws on hold, we want them to be repealed," Mollah further added.

He also said that farmers have no intention to disrupt the functions on the Republic Day as they will take out kisan parade across the country on January 26 after the main function completes.

Hannan Mollah said, "The demonstrations against these three farm laws and the demand for repealing them will continue at the district headquarters across the country till January 20. After that a three-day programme of demonstrations will start on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Jayanti on January 23 and it will continue for two days.

IANS quoted Harinder Singh, a farmer leader from Punjab and General Secretary of Bharatiya kisan union (Lakhowal) as saying that farmers are going to burn the copies of the three farm laws on the auspicious occasion of Lohri in a move to intensify the stir against these laws.

He also added that "farmer's agitation will continue till the government is ready to withdraw these laws and frame a new law which will give legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) of crops to the farmers."

Thousands of farmers have been demonstrating at the border points of the national capital since November 23, 2020. They are demanding the repeal of the new laws enacted by the Centre in September 2020.