Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Oct.21: The Supreme Court on Thursday said farmers have the right to protest, but they cannot block the roads indefinitely.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organisation of farmers’ unions, was asked by a bench of Justices SK Kaul and CT Ravikumar if they had the authority to block the road.
In response, the SKM stated that the police can better manage the roads, and that if they are unable to do so, farmers should be permitted to demonstrate at Delhi’s Ramlila Ground or Jantar Mantar.
The Supreme Court gave farmer unions three weeks to respond to a plea seeking to remove demonstrators from the roadways, after they led a nearly year-long demonstration along Delhi’s borders and elsewhere against the three central farm legislation. On December 7, the court set a date for a new hearing.
The court was hearing a petition filed by a Noida lady who demanded that the demonstrators be removed off the national capital region’s roads (NCR).
“Ultimately some solution has to be found. I’m not averse to their right to protest even when a legal challenge is pending. Roads cannot be blocked,” Justice Kaul said.
The Supreme Court earlier last month questioned why farmers are continuing their demonstrations, including blocking national highways, since all three disputed agriculture bills have been put on hold.
