The Supreme Court asked the Punjab government to convince farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal to leave his protest and go to the hospital by December 31. Dallewal has been on a hunger strike for over a month. During a special court session, Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed anger towards the Punjab government for not handling the situation properly and not following earlier orders to help Dallewal get medical care.
The Punjab government explained that they face a lot of pushback from other farmers around Dallewal who are stopping him from going to the hospital. Punjab’s Advocate General Gurminder Singh said that experts tried to talk to Dallewal, but he refused to accept any medical help, even IV drips, because he believes it would harm their cause.
The court was upset with the farmers stopping Dallewal from seeking help and suggested that those leaders could be committing a serious crime by encouraging him to continue his fast. The Supreme Court allowed the Punjab government to ask for help from the Central government if needed and expressed hope that Dallewal would be taken to the hospital soon.
They noted that Dallewal seems to be under pressure from other farmers who might not have his best interests at heart. On Friday, the court showed concern about Dallewal’s health and ordered the Punjab government to make sure he gets medical help. They also warned the state about consequences for not following court orders to assist Dallewal. Dallewal has been fasting at the Khanauri border since November 26 to urge the government to accept farmers’ demands, including a legal promise for minimum support prices for their crops
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