‘Exorbitant’ bond notices to farmers: Allahabad HC issues notice
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The Allahabad High Court has sought a response from the Sitapur district administration in Uttar Pradesh on the “exorbitant” quantity of private bonds and sureties requested of farmers, allegedly to stop them from taking part within the ongoing farm protests.
A division bench of Justices Ramesh Sinha and Rajeev Singh sought the reply on a PIL plea filed by Lucknow-based social activist Arundhati Dhuru.
Ms. Dhuru stated within the petition that SDMs (Sub-Divisional Magistrates) in numerous districts of the State, together with Sitapur, had issued notices to hundreds of farmers below Section 111 of the CrPC. The farmers have been knowledgeable that the police suspected that they could become involved within the ongoing farmers protest and commit breach of peace.
Referring to Sitapur, Ms. Dhuru stated that a number of orders have been handed on December 19 by SDMs of the totally different areas of the district, issuing notices to farmers, together with girls, calling them to furnish private bonds of ₹50,000 to ₹10 lakh and two sureties within the like quantity on apprehension that she or he would violate the regulation and order within the gentle of the following farmers protest within the district.
The court docket, in an order dated January 25, requested the administration below what circumstances farmers have been requested to furnish such “exorbitant” quantity of private bond and two sureties. The matter could be heard on February 2.
‘Financial hardship’
In the petition, Ms. Dhuru stated the bond notices could be executed for a time period of six months. This curbed their proper to transfer freely and brought on them monetary hardship, apart from violating their proper to protest peacefully.
The petitioner’s counsel submitted that notices weren’t solely baseless but in addition took away the elemental rights of an individual, as farmers weren’t allowed to come out of their homes.
Counsel additionally argued that the exorbitant quantity can’t be sought from poor farmers and that too merely on the premise of reviews of the native police personnel with out offering any alternative of listening to to such farmers.
