Bhartiya Kisan Union Bhanu, a farmers association, has moved the Supreme Court seeking to intervene as a party in a pending plea challenging the constitutional validity of the newly enacted three contentious farm laws, claiming the laws will make farmers “vulnerable to corporate greed”.
IMAGE: Farmers arrive by tractors at Singhu border during their protest against the Centre’s new farm laws in New Delhi. Photograph: Ravi Choudhary/PTI Photo
The application, filed through advocate AP Singh, said, “The Acts were passed hastily without adequate discussion… Inherent weaknesses of the agricultural sector cannot be addressed by way of monetization of farmers.”
It added that despite multiple representations sent by various Kisan groups, the government is not ready to consider their problems. The system needs strengthening of APMC system, MSP and financial support, the plea suggested.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Justice S A Bobde, on October 12, had issued a notice to the Centre by agreeing to test the validity of the laws on the pleas filed by Rashtriya Janata Dal lawmaker from Rajya Sabha, Manoj Jha and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, Tiruchi Siva, and one by Rakesh Vaishnav of Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress.
The three laws — Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 — took effect from September 27 after President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent.
‘Bhartiya Kisan Union Bhanu’, through its Mathura-based President Bhanu Pratap Singh, has sought impleadment as a party in the lead petition filed by DMK lawmaker Tiruchi Siva.
The BKU-B has also pointed out that farmers have been protesting for several days at Delhi borders, whole multiple rounds of talks with the government have remained inconclusive.
