Supreme Court of India on Thursday is set to hear a plea seeking contempt action against the Punjab government for not complying with directions to hospitalise farm leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who is on indefinite hunger strike over several demands including MSP.
The plea is to be heard by bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan will hear the plea.
AAP Punjab government had informed the vacation bench that Dallewal agreed to medical help given the Centre accepted his proposal to hold talks.
The top court had taken note of a plea moved by the 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 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 the availability of medical aid to their septuagenarian leader.
Dallewal's resistance to not taking medical aid
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 the 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.
Follow us
