Supreme Court Orders Haryana to Remove Barricades at Shambhu Border

The Supreme Court of India has instructed the Haryana government to remove the barricades at the Shambhu border near Ambala, where farmers have been camping since February 13. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan questioned the Haryana authorities’ decision to block the highway. The bench stated, How can a State block a highway? It has a duty to regulate traffic. We are saying open it but regulate.

This directive came after the Haryana government expressed its intention to appeal against the July 10 Punjab and Haryana High Court order, which mandated the opening of the highway within seven days. The bench emphasized that farmers are also citizens and deserve food and medical care.

In February, the Haryana government had set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi National Highway after farmers announced a march to Delhi to demand a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

The Supreme Court was also hearing a plea from the Haryana government challenging a March 7 order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to set up a committee to investigate the death of a 22-year-old farmer, Shubhkaran Singh, during the protests. Singh, from Bathinda in Punjab, died on February 21 during clashes at the Khanauri border. The High Court had formed a committee led by retired judge Jaishree Thakur to investigate the case, assisted by senior police officials from both Punjab and Haryana.