The Supreme Court is set to hear a plea on January 2, seeking contempt action against the Punjab government for failing to comply with its directions to hospitalise farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on an indefinite fast for over a month. The plea will be heard by a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan.

The Punjab government had informed the vacation bench that Dallewal had agreed to medical aid following the Centre’s acceptance of his proposal for talks. However, the government had also requested an additional three days to comply with the Supreme Court’s order issued on December 20, which called for Dallewal’s hospitalisation. PTI reported.

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In the December 20 hearing, the top court had refrained from commenting on the ongoing negotiations or the law and order situation, stating that it was solely concerned with the compliance of its orders. The court had expressed its willingness to grant more time under “peculiar circumstances.”

On December 28, the court criticised the Punjab government for failing to move Dallewal to a hospital and expressed concerns over the resistance from protesting farmers, who had reportedly surrounded Dallewal and blocked efforts to shift him for medical treatment. The court had pointed out that farmer leaders preventing Dallewal’s medical aid could be charged with abetment to suicide.

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The top court had also noted that the Punjab government was responsible for allowing the situation to escalate and for not taking sufficient steps to manage the crisis. It had earlier directed that Dallewal, who is 70 years old, could be moved to a makeshift hospital set up within 700 metres of the protest site at the Khanauri border point between Punjab and Haryana.

Dallewal has been on an indefinite hunger strike since November 26, demanding that the Centre implement a legal guarantee for minimum support prices (MSP) for crops. The farmers, part of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13, 2024, after their march to Delhi was stopped by security forces.