Supreme Court: In a petition filed by the State of Haryana against the order passed by the Punjab & Haryana High Court, wherein the Court ordered for removing the blockade at the Shambhu border, erected by Haryana to prevent the protesters from marching to Delhi, the division bench of Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, JJ. ordered for the constitution of a High-Powered Committee to negotiate with the farmers who are protesting at the Shambhu border between the States of Punjab and Haryana.
The bench asked the Committee to request the agitating farmers to remove their tractors, trolleys etc from the Shambhu border, to provide relief to the public. The protesters were permitted to shift their agitation to an alternate site identified by the authorities.
The Court said that there is a sizeable population of agricultural communities in Punjab and Haryana that belong to marginalised communities and live below the poverty line and deserve empathy. Hence, there is a need for a neutral committee to look into their issues.
The 5-member Committee comprises of the following:
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Justice Nawab Singh, Former Judge of Punjab & Haryana High Court;
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PS Sandhu, IPS Retired, Former DG of Haryana;
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Devender Sharma, Professor of Eminence at GNCT Amritsar;
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Dr Sukhpal Singh, Agricultural Economist from Punjab Agriculture University;
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Special Invitee — Professor BR Kambhoj, Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Agriculture University, Hisar.
The bench further directed the Chairperson to appoint a member secretary of the High-Powered Committee to coordinate meetings and maintain records and formulate the issues by convening a meeting with the states of Punjab and Haryana.
The Court has also directed the member secretary to place on record the formulated issues within one week after consulting the farmers.
Source: Press
