Supreme Court Orders Status Quo at Shambhu Border, Proposes Independent Committee to Address Farmers' Demands

The Supreme Court has ordered the maintenance of the status quo at the Shambhu border where farmers are protesting. A bench proposes forming an independent committee for a viable solution to farmers' demands. The Punjab and Haryana governments were asked to suggest names for the committee within a week.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court ordered that the status quo be maintained at the Shambhu border near Ambala, where farmers have been protesting since February 13. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan announced the proposal to form an independent committee of eminent persons to address the farmers' demands impartially.

The bench requested that the Punjab and Haryana governments propose names for the committee members within a week or it would appoint suitable individuals independently. They emphasized preventing any escalation at the site and maintaining peace until further decisions are made.

The court also directed the removal of barricades at the Shambhu border in a phased manner to ease public inconvenience. This directive came after hearing an appeal against a July 10 Punjab and Haryana High Court order to open the highway within seven days. Haryana's Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, opposed this, citing potential law-and-order issues.

Mehta expressed concerns about the presence of armoured vehicles and other barricades, stating the state's readiness to engage in dialogue. Justice Kant emphasized the trust deficit and suggested involving a neutral party to mediate the situation.

The bench reiterated the need to address the ongoing blockade of the national highway, which has persisted for over a year. The situation stems from farmers' demands for, among other things, legal guarantees for Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops. In February, Haryana implemented barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi highway in response to farmers' protests aiming to march to Delhi.