North News
New Delhi, December 20
The Supreme Court has directed the Punjab government to immediately shift farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal, who has been on a hunger strike for 25 days, to a makeshift hospital near the Khanauri border. The move aims to ensure round-the-clock health monitoring for the 70-year-old, whose condition has deteriorated significantly. Dallewal’s indefinite fast, which began on November 26, is part of the farmers’ demand for a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops.
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan instructed Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh to provide an undertaking confirming Dallewal’s transfer. The court emphasized the state’s constitutional duty to safeguard his health. “We expect the Chief Secretary and the DGP to submit affidavits today, ensuring that Mr. Dallewal is shifted to the makeshift hospital and provided with continuous medical care,” the supreme court told Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh, according to media reports.
Doctors warned that Dallewal’s life is “hanging by a thread” after he collapsed and fainted for 8-10 minutes on Thursday.
