The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Haryana Government to clear the barricading at the Shambhu border near Ambala, where farmers have been camping since February 13, and questioned its authority to block the highway.
The Haryana government had set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway in February after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced that farmers would march to Delhi in support of various demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
A bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan made the observation after the Haryana government counsel said the state is in the process of filing an appeal against the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s July 10 order which had directed it to open the highway within seven days.
“How can a State block a highway? It has a duty to regulate traffic. We are saying open it but regulate,” Justice Bhuyan said after the counsel informed the bench about filing of the appeal in the apex court.