Supreme Court Issues Notice To Centre On Plea Seeking Welfare Measures For Farmers, Price Stabilisation Fund, Agriculture Cess Etc.

Agnostos Theos, Managing Director of The Sikh Chamber of Commerce (TSCC), filed this present petition against the Union and the Ministry of Commerce.

When the matter was taken up for hearing, a bench comprising Justice Kant and KV Viswanathan told the counsel appearing for the petitioner:

“We are issuing notice but your homework is completely missing. You have hardly done any research or anything. We expect…some facts and figures, information, some data collection.”

Moving forward, Justice Viswanathan posed several questions pertaining to the Stabilisation fund. He said that if the farmers are getting minimum support price (MSP) then what was the need for the fund.  

“You want a stabilisation fund? How does it work? Have you seen the report? Who will contribute? You are getting your MSP, why are you wanting the fund? This is what the sugar factories are asking?”

Adding to this, Justice Kant said, “The impression given is as if you are espousing the cause of the sugar factories, not of farmers.”

Ultimately, the bench issued notice after cautioning the counsel that the prayer should not be “vague and evasive”. Further, the Court also asked the counsel to bring the supporting materials as well.

The aforesaid fund is being pleaded to support the farmers in the event of wide fluctuation in prices of agricultural commodities.

As per the petition, the petitioner was constrained to file the present PIL because the Union was not taking any effective measures to end agrarian distress.

“The Respondents are not taking any effective measures for making hunger as a history by putting farmers first and ending agrarian distress by a new green revolution making our country self-sufficient in grains, millets, vegetables, and fruits by implementation of the National Policy for Farmers, 2007"

Further, it has also been highlighted that employment generation in the agricultural economy has been reduced to almost 0%.

“Because the National Policy for farmers, 2007 and the NCF reports are now over 15 years old and duly accepted by the government, but no action has been taken on its implementation with reference to economics of farming by giving MSP for farm produce to end the "Debt-death"

Because the respondents should take steps to help the farmers to come out of the debt and poverty traps by giving loan waivers at par with the corporates in view of uncertainty of the monsoon and the uncertainty of the markets.,” the plea read.

Notably, the petition also stated that the Indian Government negotiated under the World Trade Organization without considering the impact on Indian farmers. It has been argued that this is the reason for the absence of a Price Stabilization Fund in India, likewise in the US and EU.

In this context, it has also been averred that the Centre does not provide adequate subsidies at par with the US and EU and permits “cheap imports” of agricultural products, which threatens farmers' livelihoods.

It may also be noted that earlier, the same petitioner had filed a petition seeking directions from the Centre/State governments to consider the reasonable demands of the protesting farmers and to allow the protesters to move to Delhi. However, the same was withdrawn after this Bench expressed reservations about the manner in which the petition was filed. 

Case Title: Agnostos Theos vs Union of India and anr., DIARY NO. - 16563/2024