‘Free warehouse of protesters’: Notice to Centre, Punjab
Item
Title
‘Free warehouse of protesters’: Notice to Centre, Punjab
Description
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has issued a notice to the Union government as well as the Punjab government on a plea filed by a storage company seeking removal of protesting farmers from its warehouse in Patiala district. Justice Lisa Gill issued the notice after taking cognisance of the petition filed by S M Logistics and Warehousing Company Private Limited, a Patiala-based warehousing and storage company. The petitioner submitted before the HC that farmers holding protests against the Centre’s agriculture laws are debarring the company from carrying on its business. The store was being used for storing goods of three companies — Adani Wilmar Limited, Capital Food Private Limited and Technova Imaging Systems Private Limited. However, according to the petition, the company has not been able to use the storehouse since February 2021, as the Bhartiya Kisan Union has locked its premises. Earlier the company had approached the Supreme Court directly but it was asked to first approach the high court to redress its grievance. The company has also alleged that the protesters have locked its storage facility, which is causing perishable goods from Adani Wilmar Ltd and Capital Foods Private Limited stored in the warehouse go waste. It was also argued that the company has suffered massive loss of around more than crores every day. The HC has been informed that despite several communications to the local administration, nothing has been done to remove the protesters from the site. But, during the hearing of the case, the counsel appearing for state of Punjab informed the HC that the local administration would resolve the issue. Directions have been sought to remove, relocate protesters from the site, as they are restricting the company from carrying out its business, which is a fundamental right guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (g) of the Constitution. The case has now been fixed for March 23 for further hearing.
Publisher
The Times of India
Date
2021-03-18
Coverage
Chandigarh