Punjab: High court seeks govt’s report as plea challenges Dallewal’s detention
The plea claimed that Dallewal, along with Pandher, Manjit Singh Rai and other leaders, was detained without prior notice or explanation, leading to clashes between farmers and the police
The Punjab and Haryana high court (HC) on Friday evening sought a report from the Punjab government on a plea alleging that farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal had been detained illegally.
Filed by Bharti Kisan Union’s (Doaba) vice president Gurmukh Singh who is also a part of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (non political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), the petition sought urgent hearing and was taken up in the evening by the bench of justice Manisha Batra post court working hours.
“The court has issued a notice of motion on the petition and directed the state to present a status report on Monday,” his lawyer Angrej Singh said after the hearing. The petition claims unlawful detention of Dallewal. It seeks his release. The detention violated his fundamental rights under Articles 21 and 22, as no formal arrest procedures or charges were followed, the plea mentioned, adding that the court should also intervene to ensure the safety and security of Dallewal and other “missing farmer leaders”.
Dallewal, leader of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non political), was detained along with Kisan Mazdoor Morcha leader Sarwan Singh Pandher following a meeting with Union ministers in Chandigarh on Wednesday evening. Following this, the Punjab police cleared the year-long blockades on the national highways by farmers at the inter-state borders at Shambhu and Khanauri on Thursday. The plea claimed 300-400 members of the farmer organisations were also missing.
The plea claimed that Dallewal, along with Pandher, Manjit Singh Rai and other leaders, was detained without prior notice or explanation, leading to clashes between farmers and the police. “The detention appears to be an attempt to suppress the farmers’ movement and instill fear among peaceful protesters, violating the fundamental rights to freedom of speech and expression, assembly and association under Article 19 of the Constitution,” the plea further added.