E-Paper
Chandigarh admn says won’t act against protesters booked during farm laws stir
The statement was made during resumed hearing of a plea filed by a dozen-odd farmers and protesters seeking directions to UT Police to forward a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the withdrawals of three FIRs registered against the protesters during protests against repealed farm laws in 2020-2021.
The Chandigarh administration has undertaken before the Punjab and Haryana high court that it would not proceed against protesters booked during farm laws stir of 2020-21, pending response from the Centre.
The statement was made during resumed hearing of a plea filed by a dozen-odd farmers and protesters seeking directions to UT Police to forward a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the withdrawals of three FIRs registered against the protesters during protests against repealed farm laws in 2020-2021.
UT’s counsel told the court that Chandigarh administration has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs, seeking permission to withdraw prosecution in various FIRs, in a letter on February 19, 2025. “.. .till the clarification is obtained from the Ministry of Home Affairs .. no effective/coercive steps shall be taken against the petitioners in the FIRs,” the counsel undertook.
The petition was filed in July stating that Centre while repealing the three farm laws, enacted in 2020 had agreed to withdraw all the criminal cases registered against farmers and other protesters and gave a direction on December 12 2021, delegating powers to the state governments to withdraw cases under section 321 of Code of Criminal Procedure. Various states including Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and others initiated withdrawal of cases and in June 2022 Senior superintendent police, Chandigarh was approached with a request to withdraw three FIRs registered in Chandigarh in 2020 and 20221. Two FIRs registered at Sector 34 police station and one at the Sector- 49 police station. However, local police had opined that they had no objection to withdrawal of these FIRs but it would need clearance from the Centre, the plea had said seeking directions to police to quash the FIRs.
The Centre ushered in the new farm laws- The Farmers (Empowerment & Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, The Farmers Produce Trade & Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Act 2020 and The Essential Commodities Act 2020 in 2020 and were passed by the Parliament. There were widespread protests in the country by farmers as they felt laws being contrary to the interests of the farmer community in India. Thousands of farmers remained camped at Delhi border for months together. It was on December 1, 2021 Centre repealed the new laws.
