After the Punj🔜ab government informed the Supreme Court about a scheduled meeting with septuagenarian farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, a SC-appointed panel met him at around 3.30 pm on Monday.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh was informed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, repr🧸esenting the Punjab government, that the protesting farmers had been persuaded to meet Justice (retd) Nawab Singh, who chairs the apex court-appointed committee.
"Some of us have been able to persuade those people under protest to meet J🔯ustice (retd) Nawab Singh led committee today at 3 pm. We are hopeful that there will be a break꧙through. Kindly take it up after a couple of days," Sibal said.
On hearing this, the bench 𒈔said, "Let us hope and pray that better sense prevails on everyone."
The apex court as♋ked Sibal to prepare a brief note of the deliberations and posted the hearing on January 10.
Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said the c෴ommittee would fil🎀e a brief note on the meeting's outcome.
During its meeting, the commi🍌ttee requested the ailing far🐈mer leader to avail medical aid.
Dallewal, who is the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political), has been on an indefinite hunger strike since November 26, 2024, pressin🍌g the farmers' various demands, including a legal guarantee on the m🌠inimum support price for crops.
He refused medical aid offered by the Punjab government and his condition deteriorated as he developed some health ꧒complications.
On December 20, the apex court put the onu𝐆s on Punjab government officials and doctors to decide on his hospi🦋talisation.
The top court said Dallewal could be moved to the mak🎶eshift hospital set up within 700 metres of the protest site at Khana💝uri border.
In September, 2024, the꧙ SC formed the committee with the aim to amicably r𒈔esolve the grievances of protesting farmers.
The panel in its initial report flagged various reasons for agrarian dist✃ress and listed reasons including stagnant yield, rising cost🌜s, debts and inadequate marketing system.
Aside from Justice (retd) Nawab Singh, the committee comprises retired IPS officer B S Sandhu, agriculture expert Devinder Sharma, professor Rꩲanjit Singh Ghuman and Dr Sukhpal Singh,♌ agricultural economist from the Punjab Agricultural University.
Addressing the media after meeting Dallewal, Justice (r🍸etd) Nawab Singh said, "We pray to 'Waheguru' that he should be﷽ healthy."
On being asked whether Dallewal agreed to avail medical aid, Nawab Singh said, "We all repeatedly requested him fo🦄r medical (help). We want his health to be good."
"I came here today not to say tha🐽t the agitation should end," the former judge said, "but to tell him his health shou💮ld be good. I also told him that we are here whenever he says so."
Dallewal told the panel for him farming came first, his health later,♊ said the former judge.
Supreme Court judge Justice Surya Kant formed the committee with some con🍨fidence, he said.
The committee reached the ๊Khanꦰauri protest site at around 3.30 pm and met Dallewal after the apex court hearing earlier in the day.
The farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and K𓂃isan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, 2024, after their march to Delhi was stopped by the security forces.
