New Delhi: RJD MP Manoj Jha has moved the the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the newly enacted three agriculture laws, saying they are “discriminatory and manifestly arbitrary” and will expose marginal farmers to exploitation by big corporates.
Parliament has recently passed the three Bills — the Farmers’ (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.
These have came into effect from September 27 after President Ram Nath Kovind gave his assent.
Jha, a Rajya Sabha member of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has filed the plea in the top court through lawyer Fauzia Shakil. Besides Jha, Congress Lok Sabha member from Kerala TN Prathapan and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Rajya Sabha member from Tamil Nadu Tiruchi Siva had moved the top court against the farm laws.
Jha, in his plea, said, “The impugned legislations corporatise agriculture and ushers in an unregulated and exploitative regime. A farmer would not have the knowledge to negotiate the best terms with a private company. This leads to unequal bargaining position in negotiating the farm agreement with corporates would lead to corporates monopolising the agriculture sector.”
The plea said the laws have been passed by Parliament “in breach of the Parliamentary Rules and convention and the impugned acts are unconstitutional on the ground that it is discriminatory and manifestly arbitrary and further violates the Basic Structure of the Constitution.”
These laws encourage “corporatisation” of Indian agriculture which is the lifeline of the poor farmers and key to the survival of the nation’s agriculture sector, it said. “The impugned Acts primarily intends to sacrifice the interest of the farmers and leave them at the mercy of the sponsors without any proper dispute resolution mechanism,” it added. (PTI)
