Punjab: The Supreme Court on Monday constituted a high-level committee headed by Justice Nawab Singh, former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to amicably resolve the grievances of farmers protesting at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana.The decision underlines the Court’s intent to keep the issue away from politicisation and seek a peaceful solution. New Supreme Court committee takes charge: Will farmers vacate Shambhu border? A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the committee to convene its first meeting within a week. The panel has been directed to hold talks with the protesting farmers, urging them to immediately remove their tractors and trolleys from the border area to ease the burden on commuters.
The committee will comprise retired IPS officer PS Sandhu, Professor Devendra Sharma, Professor Ranjit Singh Ghuman and agricultural economist Sukhpal Singh of Punjab Agricultural University. The bench also invited Professor BR Kamboj, Vice Chancellor of Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, as a special invitee to provide expert opinion, if required. Both Punjab and Haryana governments are allowed to give suggestions to the committee, ensuring a collaborative approach. The Supreme Court emphasised that farmers’ issues should not be politicised and advised the protesters to remain independent of political parties. The committee has been tasked with considering the demands of the farmers in a phased manner and exploring alternative sites for their peaceful agitation. The move comes in response to the Haryana government’s plea against a high court order directing it to remove barricades at the Shambhu border within a week. Farmers have been camping there since February 13 after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced a march to Delhi in support of their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.
