Published 18:55 IST, January 13th 2021
Bar Council of India slams politicisation of SC's order, urges farmers to suspend stir
The Bar Council of India on Wednesday slammed the politicisation of the Supreme Court's order staying the implementation of the three farm laws.
The Bar Council of India on Wednesday slammed the politicisation of the Supreme Court's order staying the implementation of the three farm laws passed by Parliament. Dubbing the order as a "historic step", it opined that the apex court's aim was to save the lives of the protesting farmers from the cold weather and COVID-19. In a statement, BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra recalled that the whole legal fraternity had opposed the clause in the agrarian legislation which made the Sub-Divisional Magistrate the sole adjudicatory authority.
Calling upon farmers to suspend their agitation in the wake of the SC's intervention, he accused some politicians of weakening institutions for their own "vested interests". Multiple parties including Congress and TMC have questioned the impartiality of the 4-member committee formed by the SC to resolve the standoff between farmers and the Centre. Maintaining that the interested parties had the right to move the top court to seek a modification of the order, Mishra argued that some elements only wanted to mislead the farmers. Claiming that 90% of peace-loving farmers are not in favour of continuation of the stir, the BCI lauded SC for its intention to save the country from lawlessness.
Here is BCI's statement:
SC's verdict
On Tuesday, a three-judge SC bench comprising Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justice AS Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian laid down the roadmap for the resolution of the standoff by staying the implementation of The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Moreover, it has not only ordered that the MSP system in place before the enactment of the agrarian legislation shall continue but also made it clear that the landholdings of the farmers shall be protected. The SC-constituted committee comprising agricultural economist Ashok Gulati, BKU national president Bhupinder Singh Mann, Pramod Kumar Joshi- Director, South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute and Shetkari Sanghatana president Anil Ghanwat will solicit the views of farm unions and the Centre.
This panel has been directed to submit its recommendations pertaining to the farm laws to the SC within two months from the date of its first sitting. Additionally, the representatives of all farmer unions, irrespective of whether they are holding a protest or not, have been asked to participate in the deliberations of the 4-member committee and put forth their viewpoints. Though the court said that it did not intend to stifle a "peaceful protest", it appealed to the farmers' unions to convince their members to get back to their livelihood as a result of this "extraordinary order".
Updated 18:55 IST, January 13th 2021