Highways Are Not Parking Spaces’: Supreme Court Calls for Partial Reopening of Shambhu Border

The bench also commended the governments of Punjab and Haryana for nominating apolitical figures to form a committee that will engage with the protesting farmers.

On Monday, the Supreme Court directed the authorities to partially reopen the Shambhu border, where farmers have been protesting since February 13. The court instructed the chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana to convene a meeting, along with the Superintendents of Police from the adjacent districts of Patiala and Ambala, within one week to facilitate the reopening of the highway.

The court emphasized that highways should not be treated as parking spaces and urged the Punjab government to persuade the farmers to remove their tractors from the road.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan stated that the partial reopening of the road at Shambhu border was essential to ensure the movement of ambulances, essential services, senior citizens, women, girl students, and local commuters.

The bench also praised both state governments for appointing neutral, apolitical individuals to form a committee that will engage in discussions with the protesting farmers.

“We will issue a brief order outlining the terms for the panel to be formed to communicate with the protesting farmers at the Shambhu border,” the bench stated.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had requested the governments of Punjab and Haryana to propose neutral personalities for establishing an independent panel to engage with the farmers protesting at the Shambhu border, who are demanding a legal guarantee of the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce.

The Supreme Court was hearing the Haryana government’s challenge to a Punjab and Haryana High Court order that directed the removal of barricades at the Shambhu border within a week.

In June, the court noted a trust deficit between the farmers and the government. A three-judge Supreme Court bench, led by Justice Surya Kant, highlighted the need for a “neutral umpire” who could build confidence between the farmers and the government.

“You need to take proactive steps to reach out to the farmers. Why would they otherwise want to come to Delhi? You are sending ministers from here, and despite their best intentions, there remains a trust deficit,” the bench, also comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Ujjal Bhuyan, remarked in June.