Nainital, March 23 The Uttarakhand High Court has granted relief to farmers in Udham Singh Nagar by overturning a district administration order that banned the cultivation of summer paddy.
A single bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit ruled that farmers cannot be prevented from cultivating crops of their choice without any legal basis.
Farmers filed a case challenging the order issued by the District Magistrate on February 4, 2026. The order allowed the cultivation of summer paddy only in waterlogged fields, while prohibiting it in other areas.
The state argued that the decision was based on scientific inputs, which suggested that the cultivation of summer paddy reduces groundwater levels and adversely affects soil quality.
Advocates Balvinder Singh, Harshpal Sekhon, and Sandeep Kothari, representing the petitioner farmers, argued that in the absence of any legal provision, the administration cannot impose such restrictions. They further contended that every action of the state must be in accordance with the law.
The court overturned the impugned order and allowed all the petitions, permitting farmers to cultivate summer paddy in their fields, regardless of whether the land is waterlogged or not.