India’s highest court suspends controversial farm bills after months of protest

Farmers say they were not consulted about the laws and their profits will decrease

Credit: Manish Swarup/AP

India’s highest court has suspended the implementation of divisive new agricultural laws that caused widespread protests among farmers over fears that their profits will be slashed further, in a rare move against the government.

Since November, around 500,000 farmers have occupied the streets surrounding New Delhi in their tractors, despite at least 60 fatalities from exposure to the ongoing cold weather, demanding a total repeal of the proposed legislation.

Farmers believe the Indian government’s plan to scrap price guarantees for crops will allow large private corporations to establish a monopoly within agriculture and push crop prices down.

Union leaders say farming had already become marginal for many in India, due to the rising costs of land and machinery, resulting in an alarming suicide epidemic in the rural state of Punjab. 

In its ruling Tuesday, the Indian supreme court announced it would also establish a committee to hear farmers’ grievances and facilitate talks between farmers’ unions and the government.

It argued the three proposed laws had been imposed on farmers without proper consultation and the authorities had already been granted a “long rope” to resolve the protests that had disrupted life in India’s capital city for three months.

“We have the power to make a committee and the committee can give us a report. We will protect farmers,” said Chief Justice Sharad Bobde.

Farmers say they will occupy streets around Delhi until the proposed farm bills are repealed

Credit: Manish Swarup/AP

Eight rounds of talks between the two sides have failed to reach an agreement, with farmers demanding a total repeal of the laws and the Indian government only making small compromises so far, such as on electricity and water charges for farms.

Farmers’ union leaders welcomed the decision by the Indian supreme court to stay the legislation but reiterated they would only suspend their protests once the proposed laws were revoked.

“A stay is not a solution. We are here to get these laws scrapped completely… the government has in a way already agreed to scrap the laws when it said it is willing to incorporate as many amendments as farmers want,” said Bhog Singh Mansa, the president of the Indian Farmers’ Union.

The farmers’ demonstrations have attracted nationwide support as over half of Indians work in agriculture. 250 million Indians took part in a nationwide strike on November 26, the largest demonstration in world history.

This growing sympathy for farmers is believed to have influenced the court’s decision on Tuesday. Other instances of the Indian judiciary suspending legislation passed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led government of Narendra Modi, the prime minister, are very rare.