How can highways be blocked perpetually: Supreme Court on farmers' protest

The top court allowed Centre to file an application to make the farmers' unions party to the plea seeking opening of the road blockade at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border at UP Gate in Delhi, according to an NDTV report.

The Supreme Court's directive came after a Noida resident Monicca Agrawaal, who approached the court seeking removal of the blockades, saying earlier it took 20 minutes to reach Delhi but now it takes 2 hours and residents of the area have been subjected to immense hardships because of the protests at the UP Gate on Delhi border it said.

"The redressal of problems can be through judicial forum, agitation or through Parliamentary debates. But how can the highways be blocked and this is happening perpetually. Where does this end?" a bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and MM Sundresh said, according to the report.

At first, the bench asked the Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj about the steps the government was taking in the matter.

Nataraj told the judges that the government has called a meeting with the protesting farmers and the details have been mentioned in the affidavit.

According to the report, the bench said, "We may lay down a law but how to implement the law is your business. The court cannot implement it. It is the executive who has to implement it".

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that a three-member committee was formed at the highest level to resolve the grievances but the farmers' representatives refused to join in the discussions.

"If you feel that someone is to be made party, you will have to make a request. You move a formal application giving details about the steps taken to resolve their grievances and how the impleadment of representatives of farmers will help in the resolution of the dispute,"  the bench said, while listing the petition for hearing on October 4, the report added.

Mehta said that an application will be filed by Friday.

On August 23, the court had said: "Solution lies in the hands of the Union of India and the concerned state governments. They have to coordinate to find a solution that when a protest takes place, roads are not blocked and traffic is not disrupted to cause inconvenience to the common people".

The farmers are protesting against passage of three laws-Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020.