Supreme Court seeks govt’s response on 3 PILs challenging farm laws
Item
Title
Supreme Court seeks govt’s response on 3 PILs challenging farm laws
Description
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre’s response to three PILs challenging the validity of recent farm laws and describing them as prejudicial to the interest of 10 crore people engaged in agriculture. A bench of CJI SA Bobde and Justices AS Bopanna and VRamasubramanian entertained three petitions — by Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress member Rakesh Vaishnav, DMK MP Tiruchi Shiva and RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha — all assailing the constitutionality of Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act and consequential amendments to the Essential Commodities Act. The common theme of the PILs was that the new farm laws would jeopardise the interests of farmers and those engaged in the agriculture sector by exposing them to market forces, thus making them prone to exploitation.“The impugned laws would render redundant the existing state legislations which protect the weak, vulnerable, unorganised, marginal and small farmers with bare minimum bargaining power from exploitation and force them to sell their produce at throwaway prices,” they said. The bench has sought the Centre’s response within four weeks.
Publisher
The Times of India
Date
2020-10-13
Coverage
India