New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the protesting Tamil Nadu farmers to file an intervention application in farmer suicide cases.
The apex court earlier on April 13 issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu Government on the issue of farmer suicides. The Supreme Court termed it as a humanitarian crisis and said ‘it is painful to hear that farmers are committing suicide’ and that the state government is remaining silent on the issue.
Farmers from Tamil Nadu have been on protest in the national capital for over a month demanding drought relief from the Centre.
The petitioners had earlier approached the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, where the court had demanded an affidavit from the government on the steps taken by them to prevent farmer suicides.
The court, however, refused to issue notice to Centre on the petition for the moment, and said that first state needs to apprise it about the steps taken by it to stop farmer suicides in the state.
The bench also directed the state government not to consider the petition as one among others and said utmost importance should be given to it.
PTI