Chandigarh: After nearly a year-long pause, communication between protesting farmers and the Supreme Court-appointed committee is set to restart, with a meeting scheduled in Chandigarh on Friday.
A 15-member delegation of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) will hold discussions with the high-powered panel, marking the first formal engagement since talks were halted in March 2025. The dialogue had broken down following the removal of protesters from the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.
The last interaction between the committee and farmer representatives took place earlier, on January 6, 2025, when panel members met senior farmer leader Jagjit Dallewal during his hunger strike.
The committee, headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Nawab Singh, was constituted by the apex court to open channels of communication with farmers, keep the agitation free from political influence, and explore practical solutions to long-standing agricultural demands.
Other members of the panel include former Haryana Director General of Police P.S. Sandhu, noted agricultural economist Devender Sharma, and Professor of Eminence at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Ranjit Singh Ghuman. Vice-Chancellor of CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Baldev Raj Kamboj, is participating as a special invitee.
Confirming the meeting, SKM (Non-Political) leader Kaka Kotda said the delegation would primarily seek an update on the committee’s recommendations, particularly regarding the legal backing for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and other farmer-centric reforms.
“Our aim is to understand whether any concrete steps have been taken towards drafting laws or policies on MSP and related agricultural issues,” Kotda said.
He added that representatives from several states — including Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh — would be part of the delegation. Apart from meeting the panel, the group is also expected to hold discussions with Member of Parliament Charanjit Singh Channi, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing.
“The committee has reportedly suggested measures such as a legal guarantee for MSP. We want clarity on the status of that report. Our next move will depend on the outcome of these discussions,” Kotda said.
The meeting is being closely watched, as it could determine the future direction of the farmers’ agitation and the possibility of renewed negotiations at a broader level.
