Haryana moves SC against HC order directing judicial inquiry into farmer's death

The incident took place when some protesting farmers were trying to head towards barricades and were stopped by security personnel from crossing the state border and marching to Delhi.Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain had appeared for the Centre in the high court.

The Haryana government has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court order setting up a panel to probe farmer Shubhkaran Singh's death during a clash between protesting farmers and the state security personnel.

The state government filed the special leave petition in the top court on March 11 against the high court's decision.

The high court March 7 formed a panel headed by a former high court judge to inquire into the death of Shubhkaran Singh during a clash between protesting farmers and Haryana security personnel. The high court had also expressed anguish that youngsters were seen with weapons and women and children were ''paraded in the front'' during the protest.

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji, which was hearing petitions on the farmers' agitation, had said that ''it was a sad state of affairs'' that youngsters were ''armed with lathis and at certain places with swords and spears and sharp-edged weapons'' and children were ''being exposed to violence''.

The high court had formed the committee headed by retired HC judge Jaishree Thakur to inquire into the various aspects of the case, saying the investigation regarding the death of Shubhkaran, 21, cannot be entrusted solely either to Punjab or to Haryana for ''reasons obvious as both states have several things to cover up''.

The committee will be assisted by Additional Director General of Police (Punjab) Promod Ban and ADGP (Haryana) Amitabh Singh Dhillon, according to the order.

Shubhkaran, a native of Bathinda, was killed and 12 police personnel injured in clashes at Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border on February 21. The incident took place when some protesting farmers were trying to head towards barricades and were stopped by security personnel from crossing the state border and marching to Delhi.

Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain had appeared for the Centre in the high court. He had said that the Central government is open for discussions with the leaders of protesting farmers.

The high court has fixed April 10 as the next date of hearing.

The Punjab government has already registered a murder case in a Zero FIR in the matter.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are spearheading the 'Delhi Chalo' march to press the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price for crops and a farm loan waiver.

The protesting farmers have been staying put at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana after their 'Delhi Chalo' march was stopped by the security forces.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)