AMN / WEB DESK
The Supreme Court today sought response from the Centre on a batch of petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the newly enacted three farm laws.
A bench headed by Chief Justice S. A. Bobde issued notice to the Central Government and sought its reply within four weeks.
When the matter was taken up, the Bench refused to entertain advocate ML Sharma’s petition, saying he didn’t have a cause of action.
“Mere passage of a legislation cannot be a valid cause of action,” the Bench told Sharma.
However, it agreed to issue a notice to the Centre after advocate K Parameshwara submitted a petition on behalf of the Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress that there were other petitions against farm laws as well.
The three laws — Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 — took effect from 27th of last month after President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent.
The bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian was hearing pleas filed by Rashtriya Janta Dal lawmaker from Rajya Sabha Manoj Jha; Congress Lok Sabha MP from Kerala T.N. Prathapan and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam of DMK Rajya Sabha MP from Tamil Nadu Tiruchi Siva and a petition filed by Rakesh Vaishnav.
The petitions alleged that the three farm laws passed by Parliament would dismantle the Agricultural Produce Market Committees system intended to ensure fair prices for farm products.