Farmers' protest: Petition against border closure, internet suspension filed before Punjab & Haryana HC

New Delhi: A petition challenging the suspension of internet services in certain districts of Haryana and the closure of borders, has been filed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Closure of borders was a result of the preparations by farmers' unions to hold protest march from Punjab to Delhi.

Today, the matter was mentioned before a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia who asked the state government to reply in the matter.

The petitioner Uday Pratap Singh, an advocate by profession, told the Court that the matter dealt with the unlawful sealing of the border between Haryana and Punjab.

As per the plea, the 'Delhi Chalo' march on February 13, organized by numerous farmers' unions is to urge the government to accept their legitimate demands including the enactment of a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for crops. This, the plea says, is a part of their democratic right to protest peacefully.

The plea also questioned the  state's actions  such as suspending mobile internet services and bulk SMS in several districts such as Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad and Sirsa.

Apart from depriving the citizens of their right to information, the plea argued that such measures risk undermining the foundations of a democratic society governed by the rule of law, "where respect for human rights and legal principles should prevail".

The matter will be heard next on February 13.