Kerala Govt Decides To Challenge Farm Bills In Supreme Court

The Kerala government has decided to approach the Supreme Court against the Farm Bills passed by the Parliament earlier this week.

A decision in this regard has been taken by the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, according to regional media reports.

The cabinet termed that the laws  amounted to not just "gross violation of States' powers" but also "blatant and serious transgression of Constitutional norms", reported 'The Hindu Businessline'.

Farmers in many states are protesting against the following bills assed by the Parliament.

'Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020.

Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020' and

Essential Commodities(Amendment) Bill 2020.

The bills are awaiting the assent of the President.

The protesting groups apprehend that the bills - which intend to expand the trade area for agricultural produce beyond the APMCs and to provide for contract farming - will expose the farmers to exploitation by big corporates after dismantling the APMC system.  The deregulation of cereals, pulses etc, from the regime under the Essential Commodities Act and the lack of mention of Minimum Support Price in the bills are also cited by the agitated groups as reasons for their apprehensions of corporate exploitation.

Kerala never had an APMC system.

Two MPs from Kerala, Elamaram Kareem and K K Ragesh, both belonging to the CPI(M), are among the 8 MPs suspended by the Rajya Sabha for creating ruckus in the house during the discussion on the bills. The pandemonium started after the Deputy Chairman declared the Bills passed via voice vote, after turning down the demand of the opposition MPs for a division of votes. The suspended MPs held an overnight  sit-in protest outside the house on Monday.

In January, Kerala government had filed an original suit in the Supreme Court against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.