SC notices to govt on pleas challenging farm laws

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the central government seeking its explanation on multiple legal challenges made to the recentlyenacted farm laws — the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020.

The government will have to respond to the top court notices within four weeks. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde issued the notices on two petitions filed in this connection by a DMK MP and a Congress leader. A third petition filed by lawyer Manoharlal Sharma was dismissed as withdrawn.

CJI Bobde said that there was no cause of action in Sharma’s plea and urged him to withdraw his plea. He also dubbed the appearance of three senior law officers of the government in the case as a case of “overkill”. Sharma claimed that he was seeking to have the laws quashed but the bench refused to hear it.


Mere passing of a legislation does not create a cause of action, the CJI observed. The bench later issued notices on the laws in two other petitions. One was by Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress leader Rakesh Vaishnav and the other by DMK MP Tiruchi Siva, both challenging the laws as unconstitutional. The Chhattisgarh Congress leader was represented by an advocate.