Farmers' protest: Barricades in border must be removed, says Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court said that the barricades put up on the Shambhu border highway to prevent the protesting farmers from marching to Delhi on tractors should be opened in a phased manner. The farmers have been camping at the border since February. The court said that the officials of the Punjab and Haryana police and the authorities of the central forces should hold a meeting within a week to chalk out a plan to remove the barricades. A bench comprising justices Suryakant and Ujjal Bhuyan stated that there is no need for the authorities to wait for a special order from the court to take action. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by the Haryana government against the Punjab-Haryana High Court order to open the Shambhu border.

On February 21, a young farmer named Shubhkaran Singh was killed on the Khanauri border on the Punjab-Haryana border during the agitation. Although Haryana sought a stay against the High Court order announcing a judicial inquiry into the incident, the Supreme Court refused to issue a stay. The court will consider the matter again on August 22nd.

National highways are not parking spaces
The apex court observed that national highways are not parking spaces for tractors, trolleys, etc. The court directed the Punjab government to persuade farmers to remove the tractors from the road. The court also observed that it is necessary to open the national highway partially for ambulances and other essential services.