India’s highest court has suspended a series of controversial new agricultural laws that prompted hundreds of thousands of farmers to protest for months in Delhi over fears that their livelihoods were at stake.
As of November, more than half a million farmers had marched to the peripheries of Delhi and occupied roads and highways entering the capital, set up a 24-hour protest camp and refused to move until the new laws were repealed.
Farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana states, had argued that the new laws had been passed by the government without consultation, exposed them to the mercy of big business for crop prices, and were at greater risk of poverty and land loss. brought.
The farmers’ protests have proven to be one of the biggest political challenges Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faced since coming to power in 2014. It was one of the first times that the government was forced to the negotiating table after massive agitation and had remained at an impasse despite eight rounds of talks.
After two days of deliberation, the Supreme Court decided on Tuesday to suspend the laws. Judges ordered a four-member committee to investigate farmers’ grievances about the laws and said they were “extremely disappointed” with the progress of the negotiations. The judges also expressed concern about the lack of consultation with farmers on the passing of the law.
“These are matters of life and death. We are concerned with laws. We are concerned with the lives and property of people affected by the excitement. We try to solve the problem in the best way. One of the powers we have is to suspend legislation, ”SA Bobde, the Chief Justice, told the court.
While many politicians who had expressed anger at the agricultural laws celebrated the ruling, it was mocked by peasant leaders who said “this is not the time for a committee.”
Farmers’ unions reiterated that they would not participate in a judicial committee process or call off their protest until the new legislation was repealed.
“The members of the Supreme Court-appointed committee are not reliable, as they have written about how agricultural laws are pro-farmer. We will continue our agitation, ”said farmer leader Balbeer Singh Rajewal at a press conference.
The farmers said they still planned to go ahead with a planned protest tractor rally through Delhi on Republic Day on January 26 in India. So far, 60 farmers have died taking part in the protests, which involved camping in temporary tents in icy winter temperatures.
Some have called the ruling a setback for Modi, who usually has the support of the Supreme Court, widely regarded as favorable to the ruling government.
However, other observers noted that the court’s decision to suspend agricultural laws offered the government a way out of the deadlock in the negotiations without appearing to have given in to farmers’ demands.