Ensure law and order, SC tells Haryana, Punjab
FIXING MARCH 2 AS THE NEXT DATE OF HEARING, SC SAID A SETTLEMENT THROUGH TALKS CAN TAKE PLACE ONLY IF BOTH SIDES ARE READY
NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked both Haryana and Punjab to maintain law and order in light of the proposed march by activists of Haryana’s INLD to “dig” the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal, even as it asked Punjab to honour its orders on the water link.
The bench of justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and justice Amitava Roy was also told that the director general of Haryana police has written to the Union home secretary that the state police will maintain law and order for the march by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).
“We will pass an order that there should not be any hassle in maintaining law and order,” the bench said, while also making it clear that its orders for completing the construction of the SYL canal stretch falling within its territory has to be honoured by Punjab. “This can’t go on. The highest court of the land is passing orders and that is not being honoured,” the bench said underlining: “Enough was enough, every good thing comes to an end, we are keen to finish it.”
It told Punjab that it will have to complete the construction of the SYL canal and only then its plea that the water sharing award was not executable could be looked into.
The court asked both states to maintain law and order, as senior counsel Ram Jethmalani told the bench about the planned march into Punjab by one lakh people who will start from Ambala on Thursday morning to enter Punjab and dig the SYL canal.
As senior counsel Jagdeep Dhanka told the court that he was in Chandigarh on the previous day and Haryana government was taking every step to deal with the situation, Jethmalani said the state has given the permissions for the planned march and was encouraging it. “It will be difficult for this court to cancel the permission,” the bench said as Jethmalani urged it to intervene.
He urged the court that the dispute could only be resolved with assistance of some “good people” from both sides and the Cente playing the role of a mediator.
The solicitor general, however, said the Centre could play any role in the completion of the construction only when the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004, was declared unconstitutional. Fixing March 2 as the next date of hearing, the court said any settlement through talks can take place only if both the sides are ready.