Shivangi Prakash-
Published On: September 30, 2021 at 17:36 IST
The Supreme Court delivered oral observations on Thursday disapproving of the Road Blockade in the Delhi-NCR region as part of Farmers’ Demonstrations against Three Controversial Agriculture Regulations passed last year.
A Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul stated, while hearing a PIL filed by Noida resident Monicca Agarwal complaining of regular commuting delays caused by the Road Blockade, that highways cannot be closed indefinitely.
The Judge proposed that the issues be handled through Judicial Forums or Legislative Debates.
“Redressal can be through judicial forum agitation or parliamentary debates but how can highways be blocked and this cannot be a perpetual problem”, Justice Kaul remarked.
The Supreme Court has already laid down the law, Justice Kaul reminded the Union of India, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi governments, and it was now up to the executive to put it into effect.
It should be recalled that in the instance of the Shaheen Bagh Protests, a Bench led by Justice Kaul issued a ruling last year saying that Public Highways cannot be impeded in the name of Protests, and that rallies should be staged only at specified locations.
Tushar Mehta, India’s Solicitor General, told the Court that a High-Level Committee had been formed to hold negotiations, but the protesting organisations had refused to engage.
Mehta also asked the Court to add the protesting organisations to the case as respondents. The Solicitor General was ordered by the Court to file an application to that effect. The matter has been rescheduled for a hearing on Monday.
Haryana has filed an affidavit claiming that government is making “sincere efforts” to urge the protesters to cease their blockades.
The Bench had previously stated that the Union, as well as the governments of Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, needed to find a solution to the road blockade.
Monicca Agarwaal, a Noida resident, filed the PIL, alleging that travelling to Delhi for her marketing work had become a nightmare because it took 2 hours instead of 20 minutes for 2 weeks.
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