Farmer leaders welcome SC verdict on agri laws, but say protests to go on

Farmer leaders said they would not call off their protest until the legislations are repealed

Farmer leaders welcomed the Supreme Court's order to stay the implementation of three farm laws on Tuesday, but said they would not call off their protest until the legislations are repealed.

The Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 protesting farmer unions, has called a meeting later in the day to decide the next course of action.

The farmer leaders said they are not willing to participate in any proceedings before a committee appointed by the Supreme Court, but a formal decision on this will be taken by the Morcha.

"We welcome the court's order to stay the implementation of the farm laws, but we want a complete repeal of these laws," Abhimanyu Kohar, a senior leader of the Morcha, told PTI.

Another farmer leader, Harinder Lokhwal, said the protest will continue until the contentious farm laws are repealed.

The Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the controversial farm laws till further orders on Tuesday and decided to set up a committee to resolve the impasse between the Centre and the farmers' unions protesting at Delhi's borders over the legislations.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said it will pass an order to this effect.

The committee will look into the farmers' grievances against the three laws.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Haryana and Punjab, have been protesting at several border points of Delhi since November 28 last year, demanding a repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for their crops.