Law student petitions SC for removal of protesting farmers

Public interest litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court against the farmers protest outside Delhi. The PIL is seeking the removal of farmers from the border areas of Delhi-NCR. The PIL, filed by one Rishabh Sharma, a law student, through Advocate Om Prakash Parihar said the protesters should be shifted to some other place and they should be made to abide by Covid-19 appropriate behaviour.

New Delhi: A petition, filed by a law student before the Supreme Court, on Friday sought directions for immediate removal of agitating farmers from border areas of Delhi-NCR as they may pose a risk for spread of COVID-19.

The petition filed by a law student, Rishabh Sharma, sought that the Apex Court should immediately hear his petition and pronounce appropriate order directing respondents, including the Union of India (UOI) and the concerned authorities to open all the borders of Delhi.

Sharma had filed the petition before the Apex Court through his Advocate on Record (AOR) and lawyer, Omprakash Parihar.

Sharma sought that the Apex Court should direct the respondents and the concerned authorities to shift the protestors to the allotted place and provide guidelines related to social distancing and use of mask at the protest place.

"Due to the ongoing protest at the Delhi borders, the roads have been blocked and border points have been closed, which have affected vehicular traffic and people who are travelling to and from Delhi to get medical treatment in reputed government/private hospitals situated in Delhi are also affected," Sharma in his petition claimed.

Further, considering the present situation in Delhi, the COVID-19 cases have been rising and this makes the transportation of essential medical equipment even more important, but because of these protests, the same is not possible, Sharma said in his petition.

Sharma had moved the Supreme court, as there is a mass gatherings of protestors, the rate of transmission of coronavirus disease is likely to get increased and since there is no vaccine available for the masses yet, the only way to prevent the spread of coronavirus is to put immediate restrictions on mass gatherings and practise social distancing, the petition stated.

"Majority of protestors are elderly people who are more vulnerable to this deadly virus, and it is in their best interest to completely avoid such mass gatherings," the petition stated.

Even though police have allotted a dedicated place for the protestors to protest peacefully, the protestors are not shifting/moving to the allotted place and in order to create trouble for the commuters, they have blocked the borders. Furthermore, owing to a large number of protestors, the police is not able to control such a large gathering, Sharma said in his petition.

(ANI)