Farmers Movement Archive

Delhi: CJI terms Republic Day tractor raid as farmers’ visit, Centre objects

NEW DELHI: The day-long unruly behaviour by farmers who used tractors to smash through police barricades on Republic Day and hoisted the Sikh religious flag atop Red Fort was termed “farmers’ visit” by Chief Justice S A Bobde on Thursday, which immediately drew a strong protest from the Union government. Referring to the dangers of unbridled free speech causing irreparable harm to societal harmony, a bench headed by CJI Bobde said, “The fact of the matter is that there are TV programmes which instigate people. You as the government are doing nothing about it. Instigation can be against any community.” The SC saw no wrong in the government taking steps to stop telecast of offensive programmes. It drew a parallel with suspension of internet services in areas witnessing law and order problems. “You (the government) stopped internet services (in several areas of Delhi) because of farmers’ visit,” he said. Use of the term “visit” to describe the mayhem caused by rampaging farmers who injured over 300 policemen drew a sharp reaction from solicitor general Tushar Mehta, who said, “That was anything but a visit to the capital.” The CJI immediately clarified that he was “deliberately using a non-controversial term”. The CJI's predicament was understandable as a bench headed by him is hearing a bunch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of three farm laws, whose enactment has led to farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana, protesting at Delhi’s borders. He had also appealed to the farmers not to breach peace during the protests or during the tractor rally. The CJI also appeared critical of the manner in which some journalists and media houses transmitted fake or unverified news that possibly added to the frenzy among the farmers, who used tractors as weapons against lathi-wielding policemen. He was possibly referring to certain reports that attributed the death of a farmer, who died when his tractor turned turtle while being driven at high speed to smash through a police barricade, to police firing. “These are problems which can arise anywhere. Point is that fair and truthful reporting is not a problem. But it is a problem when the news is projected in a manner to instigate. The pen in the hand of a free speech-armed journalist is like the lathi in the hand of a policeman. How they use their pen or lathi in a law and order situation is integral to maintenance of law and order. And that matters a lot,” the CJI said.

The Times of India

2021-01-29

Delhi