SC To Hear Plea On Farmer Leader Jagjit Dallewal's Hospitalisation On January 2

The Punjab government had informed the vacation bench that Dallewal agreed for medical aid given the Centre accepted his proposal to hold talks.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on January 2 a plea seeking contempt action against the Punjab government for not complying with directions to hospitalise farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast for over a month.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan will hear the plea. The Punjab government had informed the vacation bench that Dallewal agreed for medical aid given the Centre accepted his proposal to hold talks.

The top court had taken note of a plea moved by Punjab government seeking an additional three days to comply with SC's December 20 order.

Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh informed the bench about the farmers' proposal to the Centre on holding talks following which Dallewal would avail medical aid.

The bench had refrained from commenting on the negotiations or the law and order situation.

"If something happens, which is acceptable to both sides and all stakeholders concerned, we will be equally happy. At the moment, we are only concerned with the compliance of our orders. If you want more time, we in peculiar circumstances are inclined to grant you some time," it said.

The top court then posted the matter on January 2 for the compliance of its order on shifting of Dallewal to a hospital.

On December 28, the top court came down heavily on the Punjab government for not moving Dallewal to a hospital even as it doubted the intention of the agitating farmers for resisting availability of medical aid to their septuagenarian leader.

The Punjab government said it faced huge resistance from the protesting farmers who had encircled Dallewal and prevented him from being taken to a hospital.

The top court blamed the Punjab government for allowing the situation to aggravate and not doing enough to contain the situation.

It had observed that farmer leaders who did not allow Dallewal to be taken to a hospital were involved in the criminal offence of abetment to suicide.

On December 20, the apex court put the onus on Punjab government officials and doctors to decide on Dallewal's hospitalisation.

The court said Dallewal, 70, could be moved to the makeshift hospital set up within 700 metres of the protest site at Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana.

On December 19, the bench referred to civil rights activist Irom Sharmila continuing her protest for more than a decade under medical supervision and asked the Punjab government to convince Dallewal for an examination. It had pulled up the state for not running medical tests on Dallewal.

Dallewal has been on an indefinite fast at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana since November 26 to press the Centre to accept the farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price for crops.

The farmers under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha have been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, last year after their march to Delhi was stopped by the security forces.