NEW DELHI: The
Supreme Court on Monday said it is for
Delhi police to decide whether to allow the protesting farmers to enter the national capital on Republic Day.
Hearing the application filed by Delhi Police seeking a direction to put an injunction on the proposed tractor rally on January 26, the Supreme Court said Delhi Police is the only authority to decide it and not the apex court.
"It is for Delhi Police to decide if (farmers are) allowed to enter, how many of them and on what conditions," said the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde.
When Attorney General K K Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested the court to restrain the farmers from entering Dehi to maintain dignity of Republic Day celebrations, the CJI-led bench said “we don’t need to tell Centre about the powers with police to address law and order situations.”
When Venugopal argued that Centre is seeking restraint orders on farmers as SC has taken charge of the matter, the CJI said, “we have not taken charge of the matter except one issue. And our intervention is grossly misunderstood.”
The top court adjourned the hearing for Wednesday on the main issue of forming a committee to hear farmers and stakeholders on the three contentious farm laws.
The court may also consider appointing a new member of the four-member committee as it became non-functional after the resignation of Bhupinder Singh Mann on January 14.
Mann, the national president of Bhartiya Kisan Union and All India Kisan Coordination Committee, had opted out of the panel saying he was doing so in view of “prevailing sentiments” and apprehensions of farmers.
The Centre, in an application filed through Delhi Police, has said that any proposed march or protest which seeks to disrupt and disturb the Republic Day celebrations will cause an “embarrassment to the nation”.
The top court had on January 12 agreed to hear the application.
(
With agency inputs)