3 farm laws put on hold by India court
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
NEW DELHI • India's Supreme Court put on hold the implementation of three controversial farm laws, a setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde, also formed a panel to facilitate talks with tens of thousands of farmers staging protests on the outskirts of the national capital for nearly two months. The judges said they will resume hearing next Monday.
The lawyer for one of the big farmer groups, Mr Dushyant Dave, did not join the hearing yesterday.
The order, an attempt to find a way out of the stalemate between the government and protesters, comes a day after Chief Justice Bobde said the court was "extremely disappointed at the way the government has handled all this". Several rounds of talks with leaders representing farmers have failed, even as more than 60 farmers are reported to have lost their lives braving cold weather.
The court refused to give more time to the government to find a solution, and said the panel will hold discussions with both parties. This committee will submit a report to the court in two months from the first meeting, which is due to be held in 10 days, the court said.
To soothe fear among protesters, the court ruled that the existing system of the government setting a minimum floor price for procurement of certain farm produce will continue, and no farmer will be deprived of their land using the new laws.
BLOOMBERG
