The Supreme Court on Thursday pulled up the Punjab government and farmers for misleading the media into believing that the court wanted to end the month-long fast undertaken by farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal.

The court also issued notice to the Centre on a fresh petition that wanted the Union government to comply with its assurance in 2021 of providing minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce.

On Thursday, the bench of Justice Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan was irked by media reports particularly from Punjab which gave an impression that the apex court wanted to end Dallewal’s fast.

“There are people making irresponsible statements. There is a deliberate attempt in the media by statements made by your government officers to give an impression that the court is pressuring him to break the fast. Our directions do not mean that he should break his fast.

“After his health is taken care of, he can continue with his fast. Our concern is that he should get access to medical help and facilities. His life is precious. He is not aligned to any political party,” the bench told Punjab advocate-general Gurminder Singh.

The bench said some farmers, too, were making irresponsible statements and observed: “We need to check their bona fides.”

Though Singh tried to persuade the court that the state was doing its best to shift Dallewal to hospital, the court granted time to the Punjab government to comply with its December 20 order to ensure proper medical aid to Dallewal at any
makeshift hospital.

The bench, while posting the matter for further hearing to January 6, also asked the Centre to file its response on the fresh petition filed by Guninder Kaur Gill, an advocate and associate of Dallewal, pleading for ensuring compliance with the Centre’s earlier purported assurance to farmers on the legal guarantee on MSP.

According to the petitioner, the Centre gave the assurance in 2021 following the repeal of three new farm laws in the wake of massive protests by farmers in various parts of the country.

The court was dealing with a special leave petition filed by the Haryana government challenging a judgment of Punjab and Haryana High Court to unblock the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana, besides a contempt petition against the Punjab government for non-compliance with the December 20 order.

On December 31, the Punjab government had told the court that Dallewal was willing to consider ending his fast provided the Centre held talks to resolve the issues raised by the farmers relating to MSP. On December 27, the court had asked Punjab to deal with troublemakers with an “iron hand” and ensure law and order. It sought compliance with its earlier directive to ensure immediate medical aid to Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast since November 26 at the Khanauri border.

Dallewal is the convenor of the Samyukhta Kisan Morcha, one of the organisations which had launched a protest march to Delhi on February 13 last year, but was stopped at the border by the Haryana and Delhi police.