Farmer leaders welcome SC verdict staying implementation of three agri laws, but say protest to continue

The Supreme Court Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting at Delhi borders.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said it will pass an order to this effect. The committee will look into the farmers' grievances against the three new laws.

During the hearing, the top court sought cooperation of the protesting farmers and made it clear that no power can prevent it from setting up a committee to resolve the impasse over the controversial farm laws.

Farmer leaders welcomed the Supreme Court's order to stay the implementation of three farm laws on Tuesday, but said they would not call off their protest until the legislations are repealed.

The Sankyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body of around 40 protesting farmer unions, has called a meeting later in the day to decide the next course of action.

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The farmer leaders said they are not willing to participate in any proceedings before a committee appointed by the Supreme Court, but a formal decision on this will be taken by the Morcha.

"We welcome the court's order to stay the implementation of the farm laws, but we want a complete repeal of these laws," said Abhimanyu Kohar, a senior leader of the Morcha.

Another farmer leader, Harinder Lokhwal, said the protest will continue until the farm laws (passed last year) are repealed.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Haryana and Punjab, have been protesting at several border points of Delhi since November 28, 2020, demanding a repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for their crops.

While many sections of the industry and key stakeholders in the agri trade reckon that the farm laws are progressive and “visionary”, and a definitive step towards realising the government’s mission of doubling farmer incomes by 2022, most farmers are concerned that it would lead to increased corporatisation of Indian agriculture.