The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday slammed protesting farmers camping at Shambhu border with hundreds of tractors and said tractor trolleys can’t be used on highways.

The bench of acting chief justice GS Sandhawalia and justice Lapita Banerji also questioned the Punjab government for allowing the assembly of farmers in such large numbers.

“According to the Motor Vehicle Act, you can’t use tractor-trolleys on the highway. You are travelling from Amritsar to Delhi on trolleys,” the bench remarked, underlining that “everyone knows about rights but there are constitutional duties” as well.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) moved by advocate Uday Pratap Singh, resident of Amravati Enclave, Panchkula, pointing out that the road blockade is not only causing inconvenience to residents but also hindrance in the movement of ambulance, school buses and pedestrians since February 13.

The petitioner sought directions to lift restrictions imposed by invoking Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the suspension of mobile internet services and bulk SMS in several districts of Haryana, such as Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa, due to the farmers’ agitation.

Demanding a legal guarantee to the minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, the implementation of Swaminathan Commission’s formula, full debt waiver for farmers, pension for farmers and labourers, withdrawal of cases against farmers during the 2020-21 protest, hundreds of farmers are camping at Shambhu and Khanauri on the Punjab-Haryana border in response to the Dilli Chalo call.

Four rounds of talks of farmer leaders with the Centre have failed, even as the Union ministers met the farmers in Chandigarh in the presence of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

Also Read : Farmers Protest ਨੂੰ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਅਤੇ ਹਰਿਆਣਾ ਹਾਈਕੋਰਟ ‘ਚ ਹੋਈ ਸੁਣਵਾਈ

During the hearing, the Punjab and Haryana governments have submitted status reports on the situation on the ground.

The court while fixing the next date of hearing for next week has sought a report on the outcome of parleys with farmers by the adjourned date.