Supreme Court stays order to open Shambhu border, directs to form a committee

The Supreme Court has put a stay on the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to open the Shambhu border. It has ordered to form a committee to take a decision on this issue. It has been instructed to include officials, farmers and social workers in the committee. The main objective of this committee will be to consider other demands including giving legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to the farmers for their crops.

The Supreme Court has taken this step at a time when farmers in different parts of the country are agitating over their demands. The main demands of the farmers are that the minimum support price for crops should be given legal status so that they can get a fair price for their hard work.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 24) expressed its intention to form a committee of independent persons to negotiate with the protesting farmers and governments at the Punjab-Haryana border to find a solution to the issues. The Supreme Court asked the states of Haryana and Punjab to suggest names of suitable persons who can be included in the committee. It also ordered to maintain status quo for a week at the Shambhu border near Ambala, where farmers have been camping since February 13.
A three-member bench headed by Justice Suryakant said that there is a need for a “neutral umpire” who can create trust between the farmers and the government. The bench also included Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Ujjal Bhuiyan. The bench said, “You have to take some steps to talk to the farmers. Otherwise why will they come to Delhi? You are sending ministers from here and despite their good intentions, there is a lack of trust.” The court said, “Appropriate instructions should be given within 1 week. Till then, let all the parties maintain the status quo at the protest site to prevent the situation from deteriorating at the Shambhu border.”
The Supreme Court was hearing a petition filed by the state of Haryana against the order passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the opening of the Shambhu border, which was closed in February this year to prevent the movement of protesting farmers from Punjab to Haryana. Farmers are protesting over demands like statutory guarantee of MSP for crops.