Plea in SC seeking early hearing of plea to remove protesting farmers after Singhu border lynching

Automated compliance and legal drafting

An application has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking urgent hearing of the writ petition regarding removal of protesting farmers. The move comes after the recent incident of the brutal lynching of a Dalit man at the Singhu Border.

The application states that “Said incidents are neither common, nor acceptable. A protest which in itself is illegal cannot be continued when it is witnessing anti-humanitarian acts. The said protests has seen many unforeseen and unacceptable things including the Tractor Rally on Republic Day, rape of a woman and its cover up at the site and murder of Lakhbir Singh on Dusshera,”

The petitioners also seek for issuance of guidelines by the Central Government to the States and the Union Territories to stop all kinds of protests in their States and not permit them until the pandemic gets over.

The application also states that the right to freedom of speech and expression cannot supersede the right to life.

“Protestors are not only putting their life at risk but of millions of people of India and such a prolonged agitation cannot be allowed especially during ongoing pandemic since prolonged protests on public places is not only a clear violation of Supreme Court rulings but is violating Right of Life of others who are directly or indirectly affected by the said protests,” the application states.

Earlier the Apex Court in another writ petition, a bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul (Monicca Agarwaal v. Union of India & Anr.) orally stated that the road blockades cannot go in perpetuity and redressal of issues should be sought through a judicial forum or Parliamentary debates, instead of public protests.