Congress to provide legal aid to protesting farmers , journalists

A committee of lawyers will be formed in every district of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi within 48 hours, as per the resolution passed by the Congress party. A delegation of heads of legal department from the states would meet farmer leaders at protesting sites in Delhi.

New Delhi:The Congress on Tuesday decided to offer legal help to protesting farmers and journalists for relief and redressal of their grievances.

This was decided at a meeting of Congress leaders of the legal cell chaired by Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha. Members of the Congress legal cells in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were also present at the meeting.

They decided that a delegation of heads of legal departments from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi will visit farmer leaders at the protest sites at borders in Delhi to apprise them of the services already undertaken by the legal department and to help agitating farmers and journalists regarding relief and redressal.

They also passed a resolution stating that in the four states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, a committee of lawyers from the legal department will be formed in all districts, with names and contact numbers, in the next 48 hours.

"Help the farmer organizations in preparing a list of missing persons by visiting jails and meeting jail authorities, police stations and other authorities," the resolution said.

"The legal cells will consider filing petitions in the high court to challenge the systematic suspension of Internet services in a large number of districts to scuttle peaceful protest of farmers," the resolution added.

They also decided to maintain close coordination among the lawyers of the legal departments of Punjab, Haryana, UP and Delhi to identify people under detention in Delhi in the course of farmers' protest and intimate the families and the detainees about legal options available to them.

The Congress has been supporting the protests against the three farm laws and have asked the farmers to continue with their agitation, saying the party would extend all support to them.

PTI