The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Central government on a batch of petitions filed by Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress leaders and DMK MP Tiruchi Siva against Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020.
The Supreme Court asked the Central government to file a reply to the petitions within four weeks. The top court was hearing a batch of petitions against Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020.
The petitioner sought a declaration of the provisions of the Agreement on Price and the Farm Services Act, along with the related notifications, as illegal, unconstitutional, and void.
The petitioner alleged that this act, 2020 is violative of Article 14 (right to equality), 15 (prohibition of discrimination) and 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution. It is also violative of conditions discussed in Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in Part IV of the Constitution of India wherein it is the duty of the state to ensure a decent standard of life to all workers. This act will open the doors to unchecked exploitations of the farmers, who are unaware of even their basic rights, the petitioner said.
The Section 2(e) which is the definition clause of the impugned act, a “farmer” means an individual engaged in the production of farming produce by self or by hired labour or otherwise, and includes the Farmer Producer Organisation. It does not identify the labour/tiller/ sharecropper working in the farm as a farmer, which is, in essence, discriminatory as it undermines their effort and further, it leaves out the rights of the labour/ sharecropper who is doing the hard labour to help produce/irrigate the farm, the plea added.