The Supreme Court has instructed the Punjab government to quickly address the health concerns of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for over 20 days. The court emphasized that the authorities need to take “extraordinary steps” to ensure his well-being.

Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan warned that if anything bad happens to Dallewal, the entire state government would be held responsible. They stressed the importance of Dallewal’s health and suggested that he should receive medical attention, even if he refuses it. The court plans to review this situation again soon.

“The entire state machinery will be blamed if something untoward happens. Consider the grave repercussions. Do not feel any pressure and do what is required. Extraordinary conditions require extraordinary steps,” told the bench to Punjab.

Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh told the bench that pursuant to the court’s last order, meetings were held between Punjab authorities, the Centre’s representative and Dallewal and the court’s concerns were brought to his notice.

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The apex court asked the farmers to not act under peer pressure and called on them to take account of the health of Dallewal, who needs to be healthy in order to be able to agitate the cause. The apex court now posted the matter for hearing on December 19 at 2 pm.

On December 13, the top court asked the Union government and Punjab to ensure necessary medical aid is provided to Dallewal, the convener of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), who has been on a fast-unto-death at the Khanouri border. It had asked authorities to have a direct dialogue with Dallewal saying “his life is precious than any agitation”

However, Dallewal refused to undergo medical tests or receive aid and the farmers declined to interact with the High Powered Committee (constituted by the court), Singh told the bench.
Singh added that Dallewal’s vitals are fine at the moment, but the doctors have said that indoor admission would be in his best interest.

The Supreme Court has urged the Punjab government and the central authorities to take immediate action to protect farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for over 20 days. The court emphasized that no force should be used to make him eat.

Dallewal began his fast on November 26 as part of protests against the central government, demanding a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) for crops. The court also instructed a special committee set up to address farmers’ issues to persuade them to either move their protest location or temporarily pause their demonstrations to allow traffic to flow smoothly.

This discussion arose during the court’s review of an earlier order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which directed the opening of a blocked highway within seven days. Farmers had set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi highway after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces. They are advocating for various demands, including a legal guarantee for MSP.

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