NEW DELHI – India’s highest court on Tuesday suspended the implementation of new laws that would reshape agriculture in the country and have sparked huge protests outside the capital, New Delhi, in a setback for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
The Supreme Court said it was suspending the laws until a committee of experts, which it will name, could consult with government officials and protesting farmers to try to find a solution to the dispute. During the first day of hearing on Monday, the president of the court was blunt in his criticisms of the way the government handled laws, saying, he was “extremely disappointed” and feared that the protests could lead to violence.
“We do not want injuries or blood on our hands,” said court president Sharad Arvind Bobde during the hearing.
It was not clear whether the suspension would satisfy protesting farmers. They have insisted on the total repeal of the laws. which, they say, would lessen the little state protection they have and put them at the mercy of corporations.
On the eve of the trial, local reports, citing farmers’ leaders, suggested that they might not sit on committees, considering them a government ploy to deplete protesters.
But shortly after the trial on Tuesday, AP Singh, one of the lawyers representing some of the agricultural unions involved in the protests, called it a “victory for farmers”. Union leaders said they will issue a response after discussions have taken place.
Tens of thousands of farmers have besieged New Delhi for more than six weeks, setting up well-organized protest camps that span tens of kilometers across all major entrances to the capital. They remained steadfast despite the cold of winter, frequent rains and dozens of deaths in their ranks.
Modi’s government, which said it wanted to nearly double India’s economy by 2024, expects the injection of private investment into the troubled agricultural sector to accelerate growth. The new laws, which Parliament passed in September in a hurried manner that sparked protests from opposition parties, would ease some government regulations to encourage private investors to negotiate directly with farmers.
Even with these regulations, such as guaranteed minimum prices for certain crops, farmers have been struggling with rising debt, which has led many of them to suicide. They fear that the new laws will eliminate the scarce protection they enjoyed and that they will struggle to fight corporate giants for fair treatment.