New Delhi/Chandigarh: After the Punjab government informed the Supreme Court about a scheduled meeting with septuagenarian farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a SC-appointed panel met him at around 3.30 pm Monday.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh was informed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Punjab government, that the protesting farmers had been persuaded to meet Justice (retd) Nawab Singh, who chairs the apex court-appointed committee.
“Some of us have been able to persuade those people under protest to meet Justice (retd) Nawab Singh led committee today at 3 pm. We are hopeful that there will be a breakthrough. Kindly take it up after a couple of days,” Sibal said.
On hearing this, the bench said, “Let us hope and pray that better sense prevails on everyone.”
The apex court asked Sibal to prepare a brief note of the deliberations and posted the hearing January 10.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said the committee would file a brief note on the meeting’s outcome.
During its meeting, the committee requested the ailing farmer leader to avail medical aid.
Dallewal, who is the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), has been on an indefinite hunger strike since November 26, 2024, pressing the farmers’ various demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for crops.
He refused medical aid offered by the Punjab government and his condition deteriorated as he developed some health complications.
On December 20, the apex court put the onus on Punjab government officials and doctors to decide on his hospitalisation.
The top court said Dallewal could be moved to the makeshift hospital set up within 700 metres of the protest site at Khanauri border.
In September, 2024, the SC formed the committee with the aim to amicably resolve the grievances of protesting farmers.
The panel in its initial report flagged various reasons for agrarian distress and listed reasons including stagnant yield, rising costs, debts and inadequate marketing system.
Aside from Justice (retd) Nawab Singh, the committee comprises retired IPS officer B S Sandhu, agriculture expert Devinder Sharma, professor Ranjit Singh Ghuman and Dr Sukhpal Singh, agricultural economist from the Punjab Agricultural University.
Addressing the media after meeting Dallewal, Justice (retd) Nawab Singh said, “We pray to ‘Waheguru’ that he should be healthy.”
On being asked whether Dallewal agreed to avail medical aid, Nawab Singh said, “We all repeatedly requested him for medical (help). We want his health to be good.”
“I came here today not to say that the agitation should end,” the former judge said, “but to tell him his health should be good. I also told him that we are here whenever he says so.”
Dallewal told the panel for him farming came first, his health later, said the former judge.
Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant formed the committee with some confidence, he said.
The committee reached the Khanauri protest site at around 3.30 pm and met Dallewal after the apex court hearing earlier in the day.
The farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, 2024, after their march to Delhi was stopped by the security forces.
PTI
