Farmers’ Protest 2.0: SC says Maintain Status Quo on Shambhu Border

On 10 Jul, the Punjab and Haryana High Court (PHHC) ordered Haryana to remove barricades from the Shambu inter-state Haryana-Panjab border. On 24 Jul, the Supreme Court (SC) of India asked Haryana to maintain status quo on the border. The PHHC had upheld the right of the farmers to protest and go to Delhi, saying, ‘The state should wake up’ (SDW Vol 2 Issue 28, Story 3). The SC said there is a trust deficit between farmers and the govt, and there is need for a ‘neutral umpire’ who can inspire confidence between the two groups. Five years ago, during the anti Citizenship Amendment Act protests, an SC panel tried to mediate between protesters and the govt. A year later, SC ruled, ‘Public places cannot be occupied indefinitely.’ The SC refused to even review its order. By that logic, can a state govt. block a national highway permanently? As far as farmers’ issues go, the Indian govt. stand on not offering legal Minimum Support Price and loan waiver is well-known. The SC order is the reason even before or during Farmers’ Protest 1.0 (2020-21) the farmers did not approach the courts. Now that PHHC has said it is not farmers but the govt. that is blocking the road, the shopkeepers of Ambala – initial supporters of farmers who later detracted because their businesses are affected – are up in arms against the BJP govt. in Haryana. Panjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann quipped, ‘If protesting farmers are not allowed to enter Delhi, should I send them to Lahore?’