Singhu Lynching: Plea In Supreme Court Seeks Early Hearing Of Plea To Remove Farmers Protesters

In the wake  of yesterday's incident of brutal lynching of a Dalit man at the farmers protest site at Singhu Border, an application has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking urgent hearing of their writ petition which seeks for removal of Farm Law protestors.

The petition filed by Swati Goel and Sanjeev Newar also seeks for issuance of guidelines by the Centre to the States and Union Territories to stop all kinds of protests in their States and not permit them until pandemic gets over.

"Said incidents are neither common, nor acceptable. A protest which in itself is illegal cannot be continued when it is witnessing anti humanitarian acts. The said protests has seen many unforeseen and unacceptable things including the Tractor Rally on Republic Day, rape of a woman and its cover up at the site and murder of Lakhbir Singh on Dusshera," the application states.

Filed through Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha, it has been averred in the application that the right to freedom of speech and expression cannot supersede right to life and if protest is allowed to go on like this, nation at large will be at loss.

"Not only pandemic, but the anti human activities happening in the name of protests including rape of a woman and killing and mutilating a Dalit man cannot be allowed to continue," the application states.

The petitioners have also averred that at a time when there is ban on celebrating festivals, visiting temples, going to school and colleges, allowing such protests will serve no good.

"Protestors are not only putting their life at risk but of millions of people of India and such a prolonged agitation cannot be allowed especially during ongoing pandemic since prolonged protests on public places is not only a clear violation of Supreme Court rulings but is violating Right of Life of others who are directly or indirectly affected by the said protests," application also states.

The application states that the matter was listed for hearing on May 10, 2021 but due to crash in server of the Top Court, the same was adjourned for May 13, 2021 but was not heard on that day as the court could not assemble on that date.

It was then listed on May 31, 2021 but was adjourned to July 12, 2021 without any hearing but the same was not listed on July 12, 2021, the applicants state.

The Supreme Court is hearing another writ petition filed by a Noida-resident seeking clearance of the blockade at Delhi-NCR highway due to farmers protesters(Monicca Agarwaal V. Union Of India & Anr). While hearing that plea, a bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul had orally remarked that road blockades cannot go in perpetuity and redressal of issues should be sought through judicial forum or Parliamentary debates, instead of public protests. The bench has issued notice to the leaders of farmers organizations in that plea and listed the case for hearing on October 20.