With the ongoing protest over the farm law the Supreme Court issued that they are holding the laws for now and will wait for the final talks of farmers and does not support any bloodshed.
Three new rules at the heart of major farmers' protests near Delhi will not come into effect immediately. The Supreme Court today reversed the suspension of laws passed in September, which led to aggravated assault. The high court also said a committee of agricultural experts would hold talks with farmers to end the crisis, calling it a "victory for equality". "We have paused the three rules on the farm until further notice," said Chief Justice SA Bobde, announcing the ordinance.
The government told the court that the rules were "not made immediately", and that they were the result of decades of negotiation. In eight rounds of negotiations with farmers' unions in recent months, the government has issued a firm decision to not take away the laws but said it would make amendments.
Recognizing that "there is no obvious solution", the Supreme Court said it was trying to resolve the issue in the best possible way and had the power to legislate. "This is a matter of life and death. We are concerned about the law. We are concerned about the health and property of the people affected by the crisis. We are trying to solve the problem in the best possible way. One of the powers we have is to legislate," said the Chief Justice.
Names nominated by the Supreme Court include agro-economist Ashok Gulati, Anil Ghanwat (Shetkari Sanghatana), Bhupinder Singh Mann (formerly Rajya Sabha) and Pramod Joshi (International Food Policy Research Institute). All four are known for being in favour of farm rules. Former India Chief Justice RM Lodha, who has been widely praised for leading the team, told a news channel that he had turned down the request. The high court also issued a notice to farmers' unions on the request of Delhi police to suspend a tractor assembly on January 26, during a Republic Day exhibition.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court said it was "very disappointed" with the way the government had handled the situation. "Each of us will face him if something goes wrong. We do not want any injuries or blood on our hands. Who will be held accountable for the bloodshed if any," the Chief Justice said in a series of sharp speeches.
Farmers, who have been protesting on highways outside Delhi since late November, have said they will not accept anything but the government dissolving the laws, which they believe will deprive them from the benefits of the Minimum Support Price (MSP). They have refused to buy the central government argument that the laws will bring about long-term reforms in the agricultural sector by eliminating the middle class and allowing farmers to sell anywhere in the country.
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