Supreme Court panel on farm laws submits report

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 31

As agitating farmers refuse to relent on their demand for withdrawal of the three farm laws, a Supreme Court-appointed three-member panel has submitted its report to the court in a sealed cover on measures to end the deadlock.

The panel comprising Pramod Kumar Joshi (Director South Asia International Food Policy), Shetkari Sanghatana president Anil Ghanwat and agriculture-economist and former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) Ashok Gulati submitted the report on March 19, sources said.

The fourth member of the panel Bhartiya Kisan Union president Bhupinder Singh Mann had recused himself.

The panel was asked to study the three farm laws, consult all stakeholders and submit its report in two months.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde – which had on January 12 stayed the implementation of the three laws till further orders and appointed a panel to suggest measures to end the stalemate – is expected to take up the matter on April 5.

The panel held 12 rounds of consultations with various stakeholders, including farmers groups, farmer producers organisations (FPOs), procurement agencies, professionals, academicians, private as well as state agriculture marketing boards.

The panel is said to have held consultations with 85 farmers’ organisations and other stakeholders to end the stalemate that has continued since November last year when thousands of agitating farmers blocked key entry points to the national capital.

It also held nine internal meetings before submitting its report.

The government too had held several rounds of talks with farmers’ leaders but the agitating farmers insisted that they won’t accept anything less than withdrawal of the Farmers (Empowerment & Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance & Farm Services Act 2020, the Farmers Produce Trade & Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Act and the amendment to the Essential Commodities Act.

“We are extremely disappointed with the way the government is handling the issue. Last four times you said negotiations are on. What negotiations are you talking about? If you have some sense of responsibility, and if you say you will withhold the implementation of laws, we will form a committee to decide,” a three-judge Bench headed CJI Bobde had told Attorney General KK Venugopal while forming the panel.