• Source:IANS
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The Punjab government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that protesting farmers at the Punjab-Haryana border have agreed to negotiate with a court-appointed panel. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Punjab, told a bench led by Justice Surya Kant that a meeting was scheduled for 3 PM on Monday, where a "breakthrough" was anticipated.

In light of this development, the Supreme Court deferred until January 10 the hearing on a contempt plea against Punjab’s Chief Secretary for failing to hospitalise Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a farmer leader on a hunger strike. The 70-year-old cancer patient has been fasting at Khanauri, on the Punjab-Haryana border, since November 26 to demand a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), loan waivers and agricultural reforms.

In September 2023, the Supreme Court formed a committee to address the grievances of farmers protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border. The panel, headed by Justice Nawab Singh, a former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, was tasked with negotiating the removal of tractors and trolleys from national highways to ease public inconvenience. The court also permitted farmers to relocate their protests to an alternative site.

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The panel includes former Haryana DGP BS Sandhu, agricultural analyst Devender Sharma, economist Prof Ranjit Singh Ghuman, Dr Sukhpal Singh and Prof Baldev Raj Kamboj as a special invitee.

During the previous hearing, the Supreme Court clarified that it never directed Jagjit Singh Dallewal to end his hunger strike but was concerned about his health. Justice Kant stated that Dallewal could continue his peaceful protest while receiving medical care, emphasising the state’s responsibility to safeguard his life.

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The court warned Punjab of potential intervention by the court if its directives on Dallewal’s hospitalisation were not implemented. It reiterated that Dallewal could be moved to a makeshift or fully equipped hospital, ensuring his health remained stable. The next hearing will review progress in the farmers’ talks and the Punjab government’s compliance with court orders regarding Dallewal’s health.

(With IANS Inputs)