Supreme Court diects Punjab govt to shift fasting farmer leader Dallewal to hospital
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Punjab government to transfer fasting farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to a nearby makeshift hospital at the Khanauri border for continuous health monitoring.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan instructed Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh to submit an undertaking regarding the 70-year-old Dallewal’s relocation to the facility near the protest site at the Khanauri border, located between Punjab and Haryana.
Singh informed the court that Dallewal had cooperated on Thursday, undergoing several medical tests, including ECG and blood tests, and his health condition appeared stable. The bench stated it would revisit the matter at 2:30 pm.
On Thursday, the bench cited the example of civil rights activist Irom Sharmila, who maintained her decade-long protest under medical supervision and urged the Punjab government to persuade Dallewal to undergo medical examinations. It had earlier criticized the state government for failing to ensure his health was assessed.
Dallewal has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Khanauri border since November 26, demanding the Centre address farmers’ issues, including a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) on crops.
Farmers, under the banners of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha, have been protesting at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13, after security forces halted their march to Delhi.
The Haryana government had set up barricades along the Ambala-New Delhi National Highway in February to prevent the farmers’ march to Delhi, organized to push for demands such as a legal MSP guarantee for their produce.
