Farmers Protests : Haryana Govt Moves Application To Add Farmers' Organisations As Respondents In SC Plea Against Road Blockade

The State of Haryana has moved an application before the Supreme Court seeking to implead 43 officer bearers of various farmers' organisations in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition filed by a Noida-resident Monicca Agarwal complaining of delays in daily commute caused due to the road-blockade owing to the ongoing farmers' protests. In the PIL, she had alleged that that travelling to Delhi from Noida for her marketing job had become a nightmare as it took 2 hours instead of 20 minutes for two weeks.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta on Thursday had apprised a Bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and M.M Sundresh that a High-Level Committee had been constituted to hold talks but the protesting organizations had refused to participate. Thus, he had sought the Court's leave to implead the protesting organizations as respondents in the matter and thereafter the Bench had directed the Solicitor General to file an application to this effect. 

The impleadment application stated that the State of Haryana had constituted a State Level Committee on September 15, 2021 to hold discussions with the protesting farmers' organisations. Thereafter, a meeting had been called by the Committee on September 19, 2021 requesting the farmer leaders to join but unfortunately the farmer leaders or the farmers' organizations did not come forward for discussion with the State Level Committee.

"The Dharna on Sindu Border and Tikri Boarder is being organized by Sanyukt Kisan Morcha which is a body of number of Kisan Unions and the name of the parties for impleadment mentioned herein above are the office bearer /workers of various Kisan Unions therefore, are the necessary party to resolve the issue", the impleadment application further averred. 

Top farmer leaders such as Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav, Darshan Pal, Gurnam Singh among others have also been named in the impleadment application. 

It was also stated in the application that the State of Haryana had made sincere efforts for removing the blockage from inter State roads and National Highways and to resume free flow of traffic on those roads for the convenience of general public by persuading theprotesting farmers' organisations to cooperate. 

While adjudicating upon the PIL on Thursday, the bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul had remarked that the highways cannot be blocked perpetually. The issues should be rather resolved through judicial forum or parliamanetary debates, the judge had suggested. 

"Redressal can be through judicial forum agitation or parliamentary debates but how can highways be blocked and this cannot be a perpetual problem", Justice Kaul had remarked.

It may be noted that a bench led by Justice Kaul had delivered a judgment last year in the case relating to Shaheen Bagh protests holding that public roads can't be obstructed in the name of protests and that protests should be held only at the designated places.

The Court is slated to hear the matter next on Monday. 

Case Title: Monicca Agarwaal v. Union Of India & Anr| WP(C) 249 OF 2021