The Supreme Court on Friday, October 1, slammed the political farmers of Kisan Mahapanchayat for “strangulating” the entire Delhi. The farmer protestors had approached the apex court asking it to give directions to Delhi police to allow them to pervade Jantar Mantar to stage ‘Satyagraha’.
A Supreme Court bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar said: “You have strangulated the entire city, now you want to come inside the city! Are the residents around happy with the protest? This business should stop.”
‘Are you protesting against the judicial system?’ SC slams the protesting ‘farmers’ for wanting to hold ‘Satyagraha’ at Jantar Mantar
“What is the point of doing satyagraha. You have approached the court. Have trust in court. Once you have approached the court, what is the point of protest? Are you protesting against the judicial system? Have faith in the system”, the bench observed.
Justice Khanwilkar stated that the farmer groups have already approached the court against the three farm laws and as such, there is no point in protests. “You are obstructing the security and defence personnel. This was in the media. All this should stop. There is no point in protests once you come to the court challenging the laws,” he added.
To this, the counsel for the Kisan Mahapanchayat submitted that the Kisan Mahapanchayat is not a part of farmer groups that are squatting on highways. He also submitted that it is the police that has blockaded the roads and not farmers.
‘Farmers’ asks permission for protests
The Supreme Court was responding to a writ petition filed by the Kisan Mahapanchayat on Thursday, September 30 urging it to give directions to authorities under the Central Government, Lieutenant Governor and Commissioner Delhi Police, the respondents in the case, to grant permission to them to hold ‘Satyagraha’ at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
These ‘farmers’ who had threatened to establish a ‘parallel government’ in Delhi’s Jantar Mantar after being granted permission to pervade the area by the AAP government in the month of July, told the Supreme Court that the respondents should not stop them from proceeding towards Jantar Mantar and provide space for at least 200 ‘farmers’ to carry out ‘peaceful’ or ‘non-violent’ protests in the area.
In the writ petition filed through Advocate on Record Ajay Choudhary, the Kisan Mahapanchayat argued in the apex court that the Delhi police are being “patently discriminatory, arbitrary and unreasonable” for denying permission to hold the rally.
Calling themselves ‘Satyagrahis’, these so-called farmers contended that the right of citizens to protest and gather peacefully without arms is a basic democratic right under the Constitution of India, which they are being deprived of.
“Action of the respondents in permitting the similar protest at the same site is unfair and violative of Right to Equality under Article 14, 19 and 21”, the petition stated.
While these political protestors have said fanciful things like ‘being stripped of their basic fundamental rights’ and holding ‘Satyagrahas’, the scars of the violence they unleashed in the country’s capital on the occasion of 72nd Republic Day are still fresh in the minds of the people.
Republic Day Riots
On January 26, so-called protesting farmers entered Delhi on the pretext of Tractor Rally using unauthorized routes. They caused property damage worth crores and injured innumerable police personnel. A group of protestors had reached Red Fort and hoisted two flags with the Sikh Holy symbol. Notably, terrorist organization Sikhs For Justice had announced a cash reward for anyone who hoists such flags on Red Fort. There have been several reports suggesting Khalistan separatists and Naxal sympathizers have infiltrated the farmer protests.
There were visuals of one of the protestors throwing away Tricolour while trying to hoist the alien flag. The protestors at several places tried to mow down the police personnel with tractors. Police personnel were attacked with lathis, stones, swords and other sharp weapons by the protestors. RTI replies reveal that around 299 police personnel were injured, which is lesser than the actual number as some data was not revealed due to ongoing investigation.
The Republic Day insurrection was not the only instance where these political farmers had resorted to violence. Several reports have emerged where these ‘farmers’ have resorted to stone-pelting, turned violent towards police, threatened to hold MPs and MLAs hostages.
Massive ongoing protests by farmer groups have been blockading highways routes around Delhi for months now. The farmer protestors have vandalised Jio mobile towers in Punjab, blockaded an Adani logistics facility and stopped trains for months, causing damages worth hundreds of crores to the public and private companies.
