New Delhi, Dec 2 (Reporter) The Supreme Court on Monday closed a habeas corpus petition seeking the release of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal after being informed that he was no longer in alleged illegal custody. Dallewal, the chief of Sanyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-political), was reportedly detained ahead of a planned hunger strike against unfulfilled promises made by the Union Government during the 2020-21 farmers' protests. A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan noted that Dallewal had been released and had even persuaded a fellow protester to end their hunger strike. While disposing of the petition, the court urged the protesting farmers not to block highways or inconvenience the public, stating, "In a democratic setup, peaceful protests are allowed, but causing public inconvenience, especially on lifelines like the Khanauri border, is not acceptable." The petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, alleged that Dallewal was unlawfully detained on November 26 from the Khanauri border in Punjab. The petitioner claimed that around 250 officers, including those from the Central Reserve Police Force and Punjab and Haryana Police, forcibly entered Dallewal's temporary shelter, detaining him without due legal procedure. The plea argued that no arrest memo was issued, no FIR registered, and Dallewal was not presented before a magistrate within 24 hours, as mandated by law. It further alleged that his detention aimed to suppress the farmers' movement and set a "tyrannical precedent."The court refrained from commenting on the validity of the ongoing protests, noting that related issues are already under judicial consideration in another case.Farmers have been agitating for realising several demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP) based on Swaminathan Committee recommendations. Punishment for those responsible for the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, scrapping of cases filed during the 2020-21 protests. and non-penalisation of stubble burning and for subsidies on electricity and compensation for families of deceased farmers are among the demands.The Supreme Court emphasised the importance of maintaining public order while exercising the right to protest, stating it will not entertain petitions seeking to disrupt this balance...////...