New Delhi: Supreme Court on Monday asked Punjab farmer leaders Jagjit Singh Dhalewal Ensure ongoing protests do not block highways or cause public inconvenience. The court noted that although peaceful protest is a democratic right and must be exercised responsibly.
The Supreme Court made these observations while dealing with a habeas corpus petition filed by Dhalewal, who was said to have been taken away from the protest site at the Kanauli border and admitted to a hospital in Ludhiana.
The Supreme Court mentioned that Dhalewal had been released and had rejoined the protests.
Prominent farmer leader Dhalewal has vowed to continue a hunger strike till death at the Kanauli border to demand legal support for minimum support price (MSP) for agricultural produce.
Dhalewal, who claimed that his eviction from the protest site was a coercive action taken by the Punjab government on behalf of the Centre, was discharged from a Ludhiana hospital on Friday evening.
In interviews with the media, Dhalewal described his hospitalization as a form of “detention” and claimed that he was prohibited from using his mobile phone and contacting media persons.
“If I was allowed to be examined, media people might see me. But I was essentially detained by the police. No medical investigation was conducted during my stay,” he said.
Dhalewal was welcomed by senior leader Sarwan Singh Pandher after his release. Samyuta Kisan Morcha (non-political), they pledged to continue supporting the farmers’ protest.
