Court doors always open to suggestion, demand: SC after Punjab says: Pb farmers refuse to talk, SC told

New Delhi: The Punjab government on Wednesday informed the Supreme Court that though meetings were held with Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on an indefinite fast at Khanauri border, and other farmers, they had refused to interact with its high-powered committee.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan was informed by Punjab ad-vocate general Gurminder Singh that the committee invited the protesting farmers on December 17, but they declined to engage in a dialogue. Singh said the state government was trying to persuade the farmers on a daily basis but suggested their demands could be directly submitted to court.

“We clarify that court’s doors are always open to any suggestion or demand by farmers directly or through their authorised representative,” the top court said. The bench took note of Dallewal’s health and asked the Punjab government to extend medical aid to him without any further delay. The Punjab AG submitted to the state authorities and a Centre’s representative met Dallewal and took stock of his health, but he refused to undergo medical tests.

The top court suggested against any laxity in taking care of Dallewal’s health for he needed to be “hale and hearty”. “Do not delay it. He is a public person-ality, a non-political leader of the masses. He represents farmers’ interests. As an elected government and constitutional organ, you would not like to invite this blame because something has happened,” the bench observed.

The matter has been posted for hearing on December 19. Observing protest-ing farmers should adopt the Gandhian way, the top court had ordered imme-diate medical aid to Dallewal, whose health is deteriorating owing to his indef-inite fast for over a fortnight at a Punjab-Haryana border. The apex court had said a high-powered committee constituted by it, which was stated to be doing a good job, would talk to the protesting farmers and make recommendations to the court which would eventually be put to the stakeholders for a decision.

Dallewal has been on an indefinite fast at the Khanauri border between Pun-jab and Haryana since November 26 to press the Centre into accepting the agitating farmers’ demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) on crops.

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 after their march to Delhi was stopped by the security forces.