The Supreme Court has sought Centre’s response on pleas challenging the validity of recently enacted farm laws, which have been facing protests led by the Congress in Punjab.
A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde issued a notice to the Central government seeking its response on the petitions within four weeks.
During the hearing, the bench observed, “We can see Attorney General, Solicitor General Additional Solicitor General in a case where there is no cause of action… This in common parlance is called an overkill.”
The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, was hearing pleas filed by RJD lawmaker from Rajya Sabha, Manoj Jha and DMK Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu, Tiruchi Siva, and one by Rakesh Vaishnav of Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress.
The three laws- Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 — took effect from September 27 after President Ram Nath Kovid’s assent.
