Farmers take part in a protest against the farm bills, in Ghazipur on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border, India, on Dec. 17, 2020. India's apex court said on Thursday that the farmers had a legitimate right to protest against the three new farm laws and that there should be no attempt to curtail them. (Photo by Partha Sarkar/Xinhua)
NEW DELHI, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- India's apex court said on Thursday that the farmers had a legitimate right to protest against the three new farm laws and that there should be no attempt to curtail them.
Hearing a bunch of petitions over the ongoing farmers' protests against the recently enacted farm laws, the Supreme Court said the protests may be allowed to continue but they should not disturb the normal life of the countrymen.
The farmers' protests entered the 23rd day on Thursday. Thousands of farmers have been camping at the inter-state borders around Delhi after being denied entry into the national capital by the Delhi Police.
The protests at the Delhi's inter-state borders have affected traffic flow over the past there weeks.
The three farm laws passed by the country's Parliament are the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.
The apex court suggested that the central government not take any action to implement the law till the court takes a final decision on the issue. It added that it would refer the matter to a vacation bench.
Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, who was representing the central government, said he will get back to the court on the issue after discussion.
Chief Justice S.A. Bobde was quoted as saying, "We make it clear that we recognise the fundamental right to protest against a law. There is no question of balancing or curtailing it. But it should not damage anyone's life or property."
The court told the representatives of the farmers' unions, "We are with the plight of farmers and sympathetic to their cause. But you have to alter the way it is going. You have to convince and bring out the solution. We are saying it to you, you have a right to protest."
"We are not going to interfere. You carry on protests. Your protest has a purpose, and that must be fulfilled by talking to someone. You simply cannot sit on protest for years," the court said.
