: Friday, January 15, 2021, 2:30 AM IST
First, laws enacted without farmers consent, now panel set up without their consent, writes Olav Albuquerque
Allegations that the microphones of opposition MPs were muted when the farm laws were passed have also been levelled against the Government. Whether true or false, what is a fact is these three farm laws were not referred to either a standing committee or a select committee in either the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha before getting Presidential assent via the ordinance route.
File photo
The Supreme Court vindicated its supremacy by doing something which neither the farmersâ unions nor their antagonist, the Government, had prayed for during the proceedings. The three-judge bench, comprising CJI Sharad Bobde, A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian set up a four-member expert committee to submit a report within two months, after first staying the three contentious farm laws.
All members of Supreme Court panel backed new farm laws
Ashok Gulati, Pramod K Joshi, Bhupinder Singh Mann & Anil Ghanwat have spoken or written in support of agriculture laws in recent past
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BKU’s Rakesh Tikait (C) speaks to the media at Ghazipur border after the SC stayed implementation of farm laws (Photo | Parveen Negi, EPS) By Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three contentious agriculture laws and formed a four-member committee to find a solution to break the deadlock between the protesting farmers and the Centre. However, all the four members agricultural economist Ashok Gulati, former director of International Food Policy Institute Pramod K Joshi, Bhupinder Singh Mann of the BKU (Mann) and Anil Ghanwat of the Shetkari Sanghatan are pro-reform and do not advocate the repeal of the laws in their entirety.
Shetkari Sanghatana chief Anil Ghanwat, a member of the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to hold talks with agitating farmers, said on Tuesday that the new farm laws partially implement what his outfit has been demanding for decades.
Updated Jan 13, 2021 | 17:15 IST
The four members of the committee set up by Supreme Court are Pramod Kumar Joshi, Ashok Gulati, Anil Ghanwat and Bhupinder Singh Mann. Protesting farmers at Singhu border. | Photo Credit: PTI
Key Highlights
The committee is expected to hold its first meeting on January 22
After taking inputs from farmers and the government, it will submit its findings to the Supreme Court within two months from the first sitting
However, for the process to move forward, the aggrieved farmers should be ready to meet the committee
The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the farm laws and set up a committee comprising four members to find a possible solution to the deadlock between the central government and farmers protesting against the legislations.
January 13, 2021
Anil Ghanwat×
“My stand to support the law was as a member of my organisation,” says Shetkari Sanghatana president
Anil Ghanwat is one of the members of the Supreme Court (SC) panel on farm laws. He is president of Shetkari Sanghatana, the apex farmers’ body in Maharashtra founded by the late Sharad Joshi. For over 40 years, Shetkari Sanghatana has been advocating that farmers must get “freedom of access to markets and to technology”.
Ghanwat, who is Joshi’s staunch follower, believes that farming could be profitable if farmers have access to free markets without the government’s intervention. His appointment by SC is being criticised by other farmer groups and opponents of farm laws on the grounds that he is already a supporter of the law. Speaking to