Chhattisgarh state government has decided to legally challenge the Centre's farm reform laws in the Supreme Court on the grounds that they infringed on a state subject. The opposition-ruled state will become the first state to take the matter to the court.
The state will submit its appeal on the ground that the Centre has framed laws on agriculture, a state subject in its Constitution.
Key Highlights
• Chhattisgarh would be the first state to legally challenge the Centre’s farm laws that have triggered farmers' protests across Haryana, Punjab and western Uttar Pradesh.
• The state is planning to approach the top court with the appeal that the trade is of agricultural produce and the Centre has practically rendered useless the state’s marketing machinery and the way their produce was being sold. The state is also going to appeal against the way the centre used a backchannel to push the bills.
• Besides this, the state will also bring in separate notifications and legislation to negate the impact of the central farm laws. The separate legislation will make it essential for every trader to declare how much of what produce he is stocking and how much has been traded. This will keep a check on hoarding.
• The state also plans to bring legislation to negate the Centre’s step to allow private individuals to buy at private mandis, which would be the biggest intervention. Chhattisgarh procures farm produce largely through cooperative societies, unlike Punjab and Haryana that have a robust mandi system. These cooperative societies are managed by the Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (MARKFED).
• The state, hence, plans to bring a separate law to ensure that no land is given to a private company or an individual to open an agricultural market. This will ensure that there are no private mandis in the state.
• The state agriculture department and legal experts are studying the three farm laws to look for any gap that be addressed through a separate law or notification. The state would also be convening a special assembly session to pass the special laws.
Background
Chhattisgarh's decision to move the Supreme Court and appeal against the centre's new farm laws comes after Congress president Sonia Gandhi issued a directive to the Congress-ruled states to pass a law to negate the Centre’s farm legislation.
Before this, Congress MP T N Prathapan had approached the Supreme Court against Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020.
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