Supreme Court-appointed committee submits report on farm laws
The committee appointed by the Supreme Court on the three contentious farm laws has submitted its report to the top court. The committee said around 85 farmer organizations have been consulted in the case. The three-member panel was formed by the apex court in January to help end the deadlock over the controversial laws, which have triggered massive protests. Here is more on this.
The report was submitted on March 19
"The report has been submitted in the Supreme Court in a sealed cover envelope on March 19," agricultural economist Anil Ghanvat, who is one of the members of the committee, told Hindustan Times.
Hearing expected to take place on April 5
The content of the report will not be revealed until Chief Justice SA Bobde-led bench takes it up for hearing and discussion. The hearing in the top court on the matter is expected to take place on April 5 when the SC reopens after the Holi vacation. The top court had in January stayed the implementation of the three controversial farm laws.
Who are the members of the committee?
The committee is composed of three members - Dr. Ashok Gulati, Dr. Pramod Joshi of the International Food Policy Research Institute, and Anil Ghanwat of the Shetkari Sanghatana. The fourth member - Bhupinder Singh Mann of the BKU (Mann) - had stepped down from the committee just two days after its formation saying he did not wish to "compromise farmers' interests."
The committee was accused of being biased
The announcement of the committee's members had triggered a controversy since most of them were known supporters of the farm laws. In fact, many farmers' groups had rejected the committee. "We don't accept this committee, all the members in this committee have been pro-government and these members have been justifying the laws," Punjab's farmers' unions had said at that time.
What is the farmers' protest all about?
Thousands of farmers, from states like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at Delhi's borders to protest against the three laws, passed last year. They are demanding a complete withdrawal of the laws and multiple rounds of discussions between them and the government have failed to end the deadlock. The farmers claim that the laws will make them vulnerable to big corporates.
