Kerala's farm success under study by Supreme Court panel
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Chandigarh: In a significant step towards agricultural transformation, the High-Powered Committee on Agrarian Reforms covened a meeting on Thursday to study and deliberate on the best practices adopted by the Kerala govt for making agriculture a sustainable and profitable enterprise.
The high-powered committee, chaired by former judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court justice Nawab Singh, was constituted by a bench of the Supreme Court of India to recommend comprehensive reforms in the agrarian sector with the aim of improving farmers' welfare.
Kerala agriculture minister S P Prasad elaborated on Kerala's strategic approach towards agrarian welfare. He highlighted landmark initiatives, including Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) support programmes, paddy procurement policies ensuring MSP for farmers, Kerala State Farmers Debt Relief Commission – providing relief to debt-burdened farmers, State Crop Insurance Scheme tailored to local conditions, natural calamity relief mechanisms, Karshaka Pension Scheme to provide social security to aged farmers, and promotion of organic and natural farming.
The officers of the Kerala agriculture department delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining these and other pioneering efforts that have transformed Kerala's agricultural landscape.
The discussions centred around key issues such as increasing farmers' income, reducing agrarian distress, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of agriculture. The Kerala delegation shared valuable insights into the initiatives that have positively impacted the farming community in their state.
The meeting was attended by prominent members of the committee and dignitaries, including Raja Shekhar Vundru, additional chief secretary, agriculture and farmers welfare department, Haryana; Devinder Sharma, noted agriculture scientist; Sukhpal Singh, chairman of the Punjab State Farmers & Farm Workers Commission; Prof Ranjit Singh Ghuman, Professor of Eminence at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; Sriram Venkataraman, director, department of agriculture, govt of Kerala; Swaran Singh Boparai, former vice-chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala; Col J SGill and Vikash Kumar, professor at CRRID.
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Hans India
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On 5 November 2024, a nine-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court of India delivered a historic verdict in the Property Owners Association v. State of Maharashtra case. The ruling settled a long-standing constitutional question: It answered with a clear no, thereby reaffirming individual property rights and limiting government power. This judgment has brought clarity to the conflict between Directive Principles of State Policy (DPSPs) and Fundamental Rights, and overruled earlier judgments that adopted a broad socialist interpretation of Article 39(b). Ignoring the Directive Principles Article 39(b) is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy in Part IV of the Constitution. It says: 'The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good.' It encourages laws for equitable distribution of wealth and resources, but DPSPs are not legally enforceable—they are only guiding principles. Do we have any Property Rights? Before 1978, right to property was a Fundamental Right under Article 19(1)(f) and Article 31. However, due to frequent land reforms, bank nationalization, and other socialist welfare measures, the Parliament passed the: 25th Constitutional Amendment (1971): Introduced Article 31C to protect laws made under Article 39(b) and (c) from being challenged for violating Fundamental Rights like Articles 14, 19, and 31. 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976): Further expanded Article 31C to cover all Directive Principles, not just 39(b) and (c). But in Minerva Mills (1980), the Supreme Court struck down this wider protection, ruling that only Article 39(b) and (c) could remain shielded. 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The judgment allows for some private resources to be used for the public good under Article 39(b) while preserving individuals' property rights, supporting India's economic growth within a democratic framework. The court emphasized that DPSPs are not enforceable laws. The government must balance social welfare goals with citizens' rights. Justice Iyer's opinion was relied on by subsequent Constitution Benches in Sanjeev Coke Manufacturing and Mafatlal Industries judgments in 1982 and 1997, respectively; hence, necessitating a reference to the nine-judge Bench. The CJI quoted a 'harsh' observation made by the Chief Justice about Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer in a 'proposed judgment'. Justice Iyer was a former top court judge whose humanism and reforms in criminal justice are considered legendary. His coinage 'bail is the rule, jail is the exception' is still assiduously quoted in Supreme Court judgments. 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