Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 18

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that the farmers’ agitation across the country against the agricultural laws had thrown up an “extraordinary situation” requiring an “extraordinary response”. The assertion came as the High Court ordered the constitution of a high-powered committee to prevent further loss/wastage of about 8,000 metric tonnes of foodgrain stored in Adani Wilmar Limited facility in Ferozepur.

‘Need to end piquant situation’

Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul asserted it would be in the fitness of things that the committee was headed by the Punjab Principal Secretary (Home). It would include Additional Director-General of Police, Law and Order, Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police, among other officers, “to find a way forward to put an end to the piquant situation”.

The direction by Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul came on a petition by Adani Wilmar and another petitioner through Ashish Prasad, Abhinav Sood, Rohit Sharma and other advocates for free movement of foodgrain from and to its facility in Ferozepur. Justice Kaul asserted it would be in the fitness of things that the committee was headed by the Punjab Principal Secretary (Home). It would include Additional Director-General of Police, Law and Order, Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner and Senior Superintendent of Police, among other officers, “to find a way forward to put an end to the piquant situation”.

Asking all parties to think out of the box, Justice Kaul directed initiation of appropriate steps expeditiously to prevent further loss/wastage, which a country like India could ill-afford.

Referring to the contentions of the petitioner-firm that it was likely to incur heavy losses and damage to the stored foodgrain due to the approaching monsoon season, Justice Kaul added: “It is expected and hoped that all efforts would be made by the quarters concerned in the spirit of ‘malice towards none with charity for all’, to borrow from Abraham Lincoln.”

Justice Kaul also added the court was having no doubt in its mind that the state was doing its best to ensure that the law took its own course and no untoward incident happened as stated in its affidavits/status reports.