Punjab and Haryana High Court orders removal of barricading at Shambhu border

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], July 10 (ANI): The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday directed the Haryana government to remove the barricades from Shambhu border after a PIL was filed challenging the unlawful barricading by the Haryana government.

In an order, the Punjab and Haryana High Court pointed out that the national highways due to the blocking of the Shambhu Border are causing inconvenience to the commuters.

Advocate Uday Pratap, while speaking with ANI on the court’s direction said, “Punjab and Haryana High Court has passed an order that unlawful barricading (due to farmers’ protest) at Shambhu border by Haryana should be removed within one week.”

He added, “I had filed a PIL to challenge this barricading done by Haryana. On May 28, we argued that the barricading of the Shambhu border is causing trouble to the daily commuters.”

He added that Haryana on Wednesday argued that to maintain public order, they have closed the border. “We reverted back that to maintain public order, this reason (to barricade the border) is totally illegal. If an individual wants to exercise their fundamental right, it cannot be assumed that they could be a threat to public order.”

“The judge, considering our argument, said that within one week, all the unlawful barricading on the Shambhu border should be removed. And now within one week, the unlawful barricading will be removed.”

The Haryana government had set up barricades after the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), the two umbrella bodies that led the farmers’ protests, gave a call to farmers from across the country to reach the national capital.

Their various demands to the central government included a legal guarantee on MSP for crops, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, and no hike in electricity tariffs.