The Punjab government told the Supreme Court on Monday that protesting farmers at the Punjab-Haryana border agreed to talk with the court-appointed panel.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Punjab government, informed the bench led by Justice Surya Kant that the meeting was scheduled for 3 pm. He expressed hope for a breakthrough.
The court then deferred the hearing on a contempt plea against Punjab’s Chief Secretary to January 10. This plea concerns the non-hospitalization of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on a hunger strike.
Dallewal, a 70-year-old cancer patient, began fasting on November 26 at Khanauri, a border point. His demands include a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), loan waivers, and better agricultural reforms.
In September, the Supreme Court formed a committee to resolve farmer grievances peacefully. It proposed that the panel, led by former High Court judge Justice Nawab Singh, negotiate with farmers to clear highways. The court also allowed farmers to shift their protests to alternative sites.
The panel includes former Haryana DGP B.S. Sandhu, agricultural analyst Devender Sharma, Prof. Ranjit Singh Ghuman, agricultural economist Dr. Sukhpal Singh, and Prof. Baldev Raj Kamboj as a special invitee.
During the last hearing, the court clarified that it had not directed Dallewal to end his hunger strike. It emphasized that its concern was his health, not halting the protest.
Justice Kant’s bench noted that moving Dallewal to a hospital would ensure medical care while allowing him to continue his peaceful strike. The court warned that if Punjab’s government failed to implement its order, it might seek intervention from the central government.
The court directed Punjab officials to ensure Dallewal’s health remains stable. It also instructed that he be shifted to a makeshift or well-equipped hospital as necessary. This directive came after concerns about his deteriorating health during the ongoing protest.
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