Farmers Movement Archive

Promise Delhi Republic Day rally will be peaceful: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain an application by Delhi Police to restrain farmers protesting against the three farm laws from taking out a tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day but said in the event they get permission for the rally, they must promise Delhiites that it would be “absolutely peaceful”. Finding the SC reluctant to entertain any plea related to law and order, solicitor general Tushar Mehta attempted to sidestep a ruling on the application and requested a bench headed by CJI S A Bobde to defer hearing on the issue till January 25 to wait and watch developments. The bench refused and said, “We told you repeatedly that we are not going to issue these directions. We consider it highly irregular and improper for this court in the first instance to allow or disallow any rally or a meeting or a procession when the norm is that it is a matter for the police to decide. The police will decide whether permission is to be granted or not. And we are not going to pass any order on the application. We mentioned this yesterday. We will allow you to withdraw it. You are the authority, the executive of the country. You are the authority to take whatever action. We will see later." Attorney general K K Venugopal said it would be difficult to keep peace on the congested roads of Delhi if 5,000 tractors were brought into the Capital and asked the court whether it would consider keeping the Delhi Police application pending. At the fag end of the hearing, he told the SC that the police would take a decision whether to permit the tractor rally on Republic Day or not. The CJI said, "No. We will not keep it pending. You pass orders. You have the power to pass appropriate orders. This is not a matter for the court at all in the first instance." However, it asked advocate Prashant Bhushan to counsel the protesting farmers to keep things peaceful. Bhushan said, "I am always counselling them that they must maintain absolute peace. Tractor rally will be on the Outer Ring Road. They are saying that we are only celebrating Republic Day and we have absolutely no intention of doing anything that will break peace." The CJI said, "The only rider we would add is that they must assure the citizens of Delhi of complete peace.” Bhushan said the protesting farmers' unions have already issued a call to maintain peace. When the AG said it would be difficult to maintain peace if 5,000 tractors were brought onto city roads already teeming with vehicles, the bench of the CJI and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said, “The police must talk to farmers unions to ensure that the rally remains peaceful. Whether to permit or not and what conditions to be imposed are matters purely in the domain of the executive. We trust Prashant Bhushan’s statement that they want to be peaceful." Venugopal said the protesting farmers were not so peaceful when the Haryana chief minister wanted to meet farmers in Karnal to discuss the farm laws. "The protesting farmers destroyed the pandal, they damaged the helipad and the CM's helicopter could not land there. There was a debacle. Therefore, I am sure so far as Bhushan is concerned, he may believe that nothing will happen. But, it is the police which will take a decision on this issue."

The Times of India

2021-01-21

Delhi