Noting that the farmer’s protesting on roads and thoroughfares, for almost a year now, has been causing immense inconvenience to commuters, the Supreme Court has urged the central government to find a solution to this problem. “You now have enough time. Please do something”, Live Law quoted SC telling SG Tushar Mehta.
Justice Kaul to SG: You now have enough time. Please do something #SupremeCourt
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) August 23, 2021
The 2-judge SC bench of justice SK Kaul and Justice Hrishikesh Roy were hearing a writ petition filed by Monica Agarwal, a resident of Noida. She alleged that travelling to Delhi from Noida for her marketing job has become a nightmare considering now it takes her over 2 hours for her to cover a distance which earlier could be covered in 20 minutes.
Supreme Court asks Centre to find a solution to the blockade of roads due to the ongoing farmers’ protest against the three agriculture laws
— ANI (@ANI) August 23, 2021
The court was hearing a petition of a Noida resident seeking direction to ensure that the road between Noida to Delhi is kept clear pic.twitter.com/YDSQFb0idm
Taking exception to farmers blocking roads in Delhi and adjoining areas, Justice Kaul said that while farmers might have the right to protest but roads cannot be blocked indefinitely.
“They might have right to a place to agitate but roads cannot be blocked like this,” said Justice Kaul, directing the Central government and concerned States to devise a solution.
“You have to find a solution. The solution lies in the hands of the Union of India and concerned States,” the judges said.
On July 19, 2021, the apex court had directed the State of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to file their response as to how the road blockade will be removed.
Responding to the SC, the Uttar Pradesh government said that they have been trying to talk and convince the farmers’ to clear the area for smoother traffic.
In an affidavit filed before the top court, the UP government said that efforts are underway to “make farmers understand the grossly illegal act of blocking roads”.
The Court, meanwhile, has granted time to the Central and UP government to examine the issue and come back to the Court with a solution.
In January, OpIndia reported how due to the farmers’ protest in Delhi, the economic activities in Delhi and its neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan have come to a halt. The trader’s body had stated that, until then, these states had incurred a loss to a tune of Rs 27,000 crore.
