The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended implementation of the new farm laws and ordered the formation of a committee to hold talks with all stakeholders and to resolve the current impasse between the Centre and the protesting farm unions. The top court also asserted that it has the power to suspend the contentious legislation to solve the problem.
This has, however, not enthused the farmers.
The committee the court appointed comprises Ashok Gulati, an agricultural economist; Pramod Kumar Joshi, former director (South Asia), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); Bhupinder Singh Mann, national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee; and Anil Ghanwat, president of the Shetkari Sanghatana.
The farmers’ unions, while welcoming the suspension of the implementation of the Acts, said it was not a solution that they had been asking for, because the laws could be reinstated anytime.
They also rejected the constitution of the committee because in their view the people on it were known for their support to the three Acts.
The Bench, headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde and comprising Justice S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian, meanwhile, said the committee would hear the government as well as the representatives of the farmers and other stakeholders and submit a report with its recommendations before it (court) within two months of the date of its first sitting in New Delhi.
In its interim order, the court said the committee would hold its first-sitting within 10 days.