Supreme Court forms committee to negotiate with farmers at Shambhu Border

The Supreme Court on Monday constituted a high-powered committee to address the concerns of farmers protesting at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana. The committee, chaired by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Nawab Singh, has been tasked with facilitating a peaceful resolution to the ongoing impasse, reported LiveLaw.

The formation of this committee comes just two days after farmers marked 200 days of their 'Delhi Chalo' agitation by holding a 'kisan mahapanchayat' at the Shambhu border. The protestors, who have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13, are demanding several concessions, including a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP).

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the committee to convene its first meeting within a week. However, the court refrained from setting specific terms for the committee’s deliberations, stating that it would be more appropriate for the panel to independently identify and formulate the issues for consideration.

The committee includes prominent figures such as former Haryana Director General of Police BS Sandhu, agricultural analyst Devender Sharma, Professor Ranjit Singh Ghuman, agricultural expert Dr Sukhpal Singh, and Professor Baldev Raj Kamboj as a special invitee. 

During the hearing, the court emphasised that the farmers' grievances should be addressed in a phased and non-political manner, urging the committee to engage with the agitating farmers to ease tensions.

Additionally, the Supreme Court allowed the farmers to relocate their peaceful protests to alternative sites, ensuring their right to demonstrate while maintaining public order.

Meanwhile, the court directed the committee to engage with the protesting farmers to facilitate the reopening of the highway blocked by the demonstrations.

This move by the Supreme Court follows a plea by the Haryana government, which challenged a high court order mandating the removal of barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala within a week. The barricades were erected in February when farmers threatened to march to Delhi.