New Delhi: The Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) Wednesday came out in support of farmers and urged the Prime Minister for repealing farm laws and to give an audience to them to come out with an amicable solution.
It also said there was a need to bring a legislation for the welfare of farmers.
The bar body said the farm laws are more detrimental to the interest of legal professionals across the country and the ‘Bar of Civil Court jurisdiction’ will substantially affect the district courts and high courts in some states.
The BCD, in a statement issued by its Chairman and senior advocate Ramesh Gupta, said the nature of subject matters covered under these laws are so vast that all disputes up till now entertained by civil courts will be adjudicated by SDMs or ADMs, who are not part of regular courts.
The bar body, in a representation sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said “Sir, you may be aware that revenue authorities under Land Reforms Act and Revenue Acts deal with limited matters, to maintain revenue records by patwaries and other officers, but under the new law, whole concept and scheme has undergone sea change.”
It said the government should have unhesitatingly consulted and taken lawyers into confidence, more so when farm laws are simply not related to routine revenue matters but the ones which are basically contractual and commercial.
“How can any litigation having civil consequences be given for adjudication to structure involving administrative agencies, controlled and run by executive authorities?,” it asked, adding that shutting the doors of civil courts to entertain disputes pertaining to the subject matter under these Acts will prove disastrous.
“The mindset behind the move to oust jurisdiction of civil courts and transfer of power to bureaucrats, acting as executive officers, to decide disputes between the traders and the farmers, will lead to corruption, and touts will victimise unimaginably,” it added.
The representation further said, “Sir, you must also be aware that a large number of farmers are agitating on the borders of the capital. You are also champion of the cause of masses and while you were not in power, you always said that right to protest is a universal right and whenever enactment or any act of the government is not suitable to masses and there is an agitation, then government in power must listen to their grievances and come out with an amicable solution.”
The lawyers requested the PM to immediately withdraw these legislations pertaining to farmers and give an audience to their leaders to come out with an amicable solution.
PTI
