Chandigarh, 28 March 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau): Farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal has broken his 123-day fast and accepted water, Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh told the Supreme Court on Friday.
“One more positive fact I want to bring to your Lordships’ notice…With your Lordships’ intervention Mr Dallewal…he has accepted water today and broken his fast,” the Punjab Advocate General told a Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice N Kotiswar Singh.
Welcoming the development, Justice Kant said, “Very good, very good …Pray for his good health. We have been in open court without mincing words saying that he is a genuine farmer leader and he has no political agenda or anything. He (Dallewal) is one person who raises genuine demands (of farmers) There are people who would never like any settlement to take place.”
Dallewal has been on a fast-unto-death since November 26, 2024, to press for farmers’ demands, including implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pension for farmers and farm labourers, farm debt waiver, reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, and compensation to the families of farmers who died during the 2020-21 agitation.
In January this year, Dallewal had agreed to take medical aid without breaking his fast and to hold talks with the Centre on the issues raised by protesting farmers.
The Bench also welcomed the reopening of blocked highways at Shambhu Border and Khanauri border, saying lakhs of people will benefit from it.
The top court refused to entertain a contempt petition against the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, and the Director General of Police of Punjab for alleged wilful disobedience of the court’s July 24, 2024 order to maintain the status quo at the Shambhu border to prevent any “untoward incident”.
“We have been asking them (Punjab Government) to open the highways,” Justice Kant said.
Following this, petitioner Sehajpreet Singh chose to withdraw his contempt petition.
On March 19, many farmer leaders, including Dallewal and Sarwan Singh Pandher, were detained by the Punjab Police which also cleared the protest sites at Shambhu Border and Khanauri Border, dismantled temporary structures and removed trolleys and vehicles stationed there.
The Punjab Police forcibly evicted protesting farmers from Shambhu Border and Khanauri Border, the petitioner alleged.
The Advocate General said the committee appointed by the court to talk to the farmers has done a “commendable job” and that its report should be placed before the court.
He said, “Haryana and us (Punjab) for a charge are on the same page.”
The Bench asked the committee and the Punjab Government to submit status/supplementary reports on the issue.
The Bench dropped the contempt proceedings against Punjab Chief Secretary and DGP at this stage “in the light of subsequent events”.
Meanwhile, farm leader Hardo Jhande said Dallewal had not consumed water since March 19 to protest against the police action at Shambhu and Khanauri and the subsequent arrest of farmers.
He has started consuming water again today.
Jhande said that Dallewal had observed a hunger strike on November 26 and was only consuming water.
On January 18, after much persuasion and a proposal from the central government for talks, Dallewal had agreed to take medical assistance. He has consumed water after the last group, consisting of 245 farmers, including Sarwan Singh Pandher, Kaka Singh Kotda, and Abhimanyu Kohar, were released from Patiala jail in the early hours of Friday.
Summary: Punjab informs the Supreme Court that farmer leader Dallewal has broken his 123-day-long fast by accepting water.