Petitions On Farmers Protest: Live Updates From Supreme Court

Mehra: They are in severe winters. They are here because of compulsion. This is not out of choice.

SG: He seems to be appearing for some farmer organisation.

Mehra: I can also say that you are appearing for something else.

CJI tells Parihar that liberty will be given to him to join the party.

Adv. Rahul Mehra, GNCTD appears: No efforts have been made to check the veracity of the claims of the Petitioners and to show the authenticity.

CJI: Your negotiation does not work apparently. You should be willing to negotiate and we should have a farmer before us who is also willing to negotiate ! Give us the name of the Union.

SG: I can give you the name within ten minutes. Immediately I can think of Bhartiya Kisan.

CJI: No, no, no. Who has blocked the road ?

SG: The farmers are protesting and roads have been blocked by Delhi Police.

CJI: So, the only party who is actually on ground is you. 

CJI: Mr. SG, we see that the petitions are ill-conceived and there are no legal issues before us. The only party before us who has blocked the road is you.

SG: I have not blocked the road.

Mani: My prayer is to ensure fundamental rights are available to the fellow farmers. That they are provided basic amenities. 

CJI: Will you keep quiet and listen ? You say that you know the pain of the farmers of Punjab and Haryana because you have land in Tamil Nadu ? What do you know ?

Mani submits that he knows the pain of protesting in the peak cold. 

Adv. GS Mani makes submissions and he states that he has land in Tamil Nadu, and that he is aware of the farmers’ pain as he himself has cultivated land when he goes there.

“I don’t know if this is the farmer’s fault or the government’s fault”. 

Kansal submits that there should be a balance: There is no free movement. Ambulances cannot go. This a violation of Article 19(1)(a),(b) and (c).

CJI: Check the newspaper reports, the organisations are present.

Parihar: Then the Court will say that we are relying on newspaper reports and dismiss this.

CJI: You should be assisting the Court. Don’t unnecessarily argue with us.