Supreme Court comes down hard on Modi government on contentious farm laws
A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) S. A. Bobde on Monday took a tough stand on the contentious farm laws in India, that have led to over month-long protests by tens of thousands of farmers on the capital's borders and the deaths of at least 60 of them, and said the court will suspend their implementation, but the government requested the court not to do anything in a hurry
A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) S. A. Bobde on Monday took a tough stand on the contentious farm laws in India, that have led to over month-long protests by tens of thousands of farmers on the capital's borders and the deaths of at least 60 of them, and said the court will suspend their implementation, but the government requested the court not to do anything in a hurry.
"We do not believe the Centre (government) is handling the situation correctly. We do not believe your negotiations are effective. We are attempting to make the atmosphere conducive by keeping the implementation of the laws in abeyance," the Chief Justice told Attorney General K.K. Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre.
The Attorney General said the top court should not pass any order in a hurry, NDTV said.
The CJI replied: "You should not lecture us on patience."
Four senior and well-known attorneys -- Dushyant Dave, Prashant Bhushan, H.S. Phoolka and Colin Gonsalves -- represented eight farmer unions before the top court.
The CJI told these lawyers to ask the protesting old men, women and children to go back home.
After learning that they are not inclined to go back, the CJI told the lawyers of representing nearly 50 farmer unions, "I am taking a risk and making a personal request. Please convey this message." The top court has indicated that it may give a part of the order on Monday, as it insisted that the government must stay the implementation of these farm laws.
The court's sharp remarks came during a hearing on petitions challenging the farm laws and the farmer agitation at the Delhi borders.
"Each one of us we will be responsible if anything goes wrong. We don't want any injuries or blood on our hands," Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said in a series of stern comments to the government.
As the government sought more time to negotiate, Justice Bobde said: "We don't see you are dealing with this issue effectively. We are taking a decision today. Who is going to be responsible for bloodshed if any?"
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