Should Farmers' Protest Blockades on Punjab Highways be Cleared?

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking directions to Centre and others to clear blockades on highways in Punjab where farmers are staging protests. A bench headed by Justice Surya Kant heard the plea.

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court by a social activist from Punjab who sought directions to the Centre and others to remove restrictions on farmers’ protests and to ensure that national highways and railway tracks are not blocked by the agitating farmers.

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

Farmers' protest

The protesting farmers planned to enter Delhi on December 6 but suspended their march after tear gas firing by police. The ‘Dilli chalo’ protest march resumed on Sunday, December 8 and was halted again due to the same reason.

"The alleged farmers and their farmer unions have blocked the national highway at the entry point of Punjab i.e. 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," news agency PTI quoted lines from the plea.

The plea alleged the blockage of highways was a threat to national security as the entire Army movement towards the northern borders of the country passes through Punjab.

What are the implications of the Supreme Court's rejection of the plea to clear blockades on Punjab highways during the farmers' protest?

It said people of Punjab and neighbouring states are facing great difficulty as they 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”.

It said free movement on highways comes under the fundamental right of the citizen, which is being violated by the farmers by blocking them in the entire state of Punjab.

"The state of Punjab is being targeted by the foreign, external and anti-national forces with the intention to use alleged farmers and farmer unions to de-stable Punjab as Punjab is the backbone of the entire country and has a history of facing many attacks from neighbouring countries," the plea stated.

Read more news like this on https://www.ncrjournal.com/