India’s top court offers to mediate to end farmers’ protest

Protesting farmer leaders shout slogans as they sit on a day long hunger strike at the Delhi- Haryana border (Manish Swarup/AP)

India’s Supreme Court has offered to set up a mediation panel to end a three-week protest by tens of thousands of farmers who are demanding the repeal of new agricultural reform laws they say will devastate their earnings.

The court sent notices to the government and the farmers’ representatives across the country seeking their views on the proposal and set Thursday for a possible decision.