The Supreme Court on Saturday ordered the Punjab government to persuade farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to shift to a hospital by December 31. A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and Sudhanshu Dhulia pulled up the AAP-led government for allowing the situation to escalate.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal has been on an indefinite fast at the Khanauri border since November 26 to press the Centre to accept farmers' demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support prices for crops.
The Punjab government expressed helplessness today before the bench, claiming it has faced huge resistance from protesting farmers. It said the farmers had encircled Dallewal, preventing the authorities from taking him to a hospital.
Dallwal not ready to end fast
Punjab advocate general Gurminder Singh told the bench that a team of experts visited the protest site and tried to persuade Dallewal to shift to the hospital and get medical help but he refused.
He said Dallewal told the government that taking medical help would undermine the movement.
"He (Dallewal) has refused any kind of medical aid, including (IV) drips, saying that it will undermine the cause of movement," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"He (Dallewal) has refused any kind of medical aid, including (IV) drips, saying that it will undermine the cause of movement," he said.
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the submission, the bench slammed the Punjab government for not doing enough to contain the situation and said the farmer leaders who were not allowing Dallewal to be taken to the hospital were involved in the criminal offence of abetment to suicide.
The top court allowed the Punjab government to seek any kind of logistics support from the Centre if the situation warrants.
Also read: SC raps Punjab, questions law-and-order breakdown over farmer leader’s health
The court observed that Dallewal was under some kind of peer pressure and those preventing his shift to the hospital aren't his well-wishers.
"Are they interested in his life or something else? We don't want to say much and only hope that the Punjab government will comply with our directions," the bench added.
On Friday, the top court expressed concern over the condition of Dallewal and directed the Punjab government to ensure he is given medical assistance.
It had issued a notice to the Punjab government on a contempt petition against its chief secretary and the director general of police (DGP) for non-compliance with an order directing that medical aid be provided to Dallewal.
With inputs from PTI