New Delhi: The Punjab government informed the Supreme Court that a delegation of protesting farmers protesting at the Khanduri border, where framer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal have been sitting on indefinite fast for the last 40 days, have agreed to meet the high-powered committee appointed by the top court earlier today.
A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh was informed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Punjab government, that they had managed to persuade the protesting farmers to meet Justice (retired) Nawab Singh-headed committee and they are hopeful of some breakthrough.
We are expecting some breakthrough, Punjab govt told SC
“We have managed to persuade them (farmers). Kindly post the matter for some other day. We are expecting some breakthrough,” Sibal told the bench.
“Hope better sense prevails on everyone,” the bench said and asked Sibal to prepare a brief note of the deliberations.
The matter would be further heard on January 10.
Apex Court has expressed its concern on Dallewal’s health conditions
Dallewal, who is sitting on the fast since November 26, refused to take medical aid offered by the Punjab government and amidst his deteriorating health condition, the top court earlier expressed its concerns on his health and directed the Punjab government to to provide adequate, immediate medical aid to him without forcing him to break fast.
Apex Court on September 2 constituted a five-member high-powered committee
The top court had on September 2 constituted a five-member high-powered committee to amicably resolve the grievances of the protesting under the chairmanship of former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Nawab Singh. The other members of the said committee are – retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer BS Sandhu, professor Ranjit Singh Ghuman, Dr Sukhpal Singh, agricultural economist from the Punjab Agriculture University and Mohali resident Devinder Sharma.
During an earlier hearing, the top court had said that the committee might be in the best place to convince protesting farmers to suspend the protest for a while and the primary task of the committee is to convince the protesting farmers to either shift the site so that highway is unblocked or pause the protest for a while because of the harsh weather and let the committee handle it.
