The Supreme Court has taken a significant step to address the issues at the Shambhu border, where farmers have been protesting. On Monday (September 2, 2024), the court formed a committee led by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, Justice Nawab Singh, to peacefully resolve the complaints of the protesting farmers. The court emphasized that the issue should not be given a political angle.

A bench consisting of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan instructed the committee to hold its first meeting within a week. The committee was also asked to contact the protesting farmers and request them to immediately remove their tractors and trolleys from the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana, to provide relief to the general public.

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The court stated that the governments of Punjab and Haryana are free to provide suggestions to the committee. The committee includes retired IPS officer P.S. Sandhu, Devendra Sharma, Professor Ranjit Singh Ghumman, and agricultural economist Dr. Sukhpal Singh from Punjab Agricultural University.

The bench advised the committee to prepare issues for discussion and directed its chairman to invite Professor B.R. Kamboj, Vice-Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, as a special invitee whenever necessary, to gather his expert opinion. The court warned the protesting farmers to maintain a safe distance from political parties and avoid insisting on demands that are not feasible.

The Supreme Court emphasized that the farmers’ issues should not be politicized and should be addressed step by step. The court also said that the farmers have the freedom to move their peaceful protests to alternative locations. The bench was hearing a petition filed by the Haryana government challenging a High Court order that directed the government to remove barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala within a week, where farmers have been camping since February 13.

In February, the Haryana government had placed barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway after the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the ‘Kisan Mazdoor Morcha’ announced that farmers would march to Delhi to support their demands, including the legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their crops.