Supreme Court Questions Highway Blockade at Shambhu Border

The Supreme Court has directed the Haryana government to lift the barricading at the Shambhu border near Ambala, where farmers have been protesting since February 13. The court questioned the government’s blockade of a national highway, especially after an earlier high court order to reopen the road within seven days.

The Supreme Court on Friday questioned the Haryana government's decision to block the Ambala-New Delhi national highway and directed it to remove the barricading at Shambhu border, where farmers have been protesting since February 13.

The Haryana government had set up the barricades in response to movements by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) advocating for various demands, including a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) for crops.

A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan noted the government's plan to appeal against a high court's July 10 order to reopen the highway within seven days, questioning how a state could block a highway when its duty is to regulate traffic.