No legal backing: U’khand HC quashes ban on summer paddy cultivation

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has quashed an order issued by Udham Singh Nagar district magistrate on Feb 4, 2026, that barred farmers from cultivating summer paddy in non-waterlogged fields, holding that "such a restriction lacks legal backing". Hearing a batch of petitions by 24 farmers led by Charanjeet Singh against the chief agriculture officer and others, Justice Pankaj Purohit on Monday held that "in the absence of statutory provisions, farmers cannot be barred from cultivating the crop of their choice". Earlier, HC had granted interim protection against the destruction of nurseries already sown by the petitioners and sought the state's response.Farmers welcomed the verdict, saying it is a victory against arbitrary bureaucratic action. "We have been cultivating paddy during the summer season for many years. This is our land and we are best placed to decide what to grow. The court's order makes it clear that we are not engaging in any illegal activity," they said."The administration wants us to grow maize, but summer paddy is harvested in 70-75 days, and this is the reason why farmers prefer it," said Vicky Bagwara, a farmer. However, he said summer paddy can adversely affect the monsoon crop by reducing yields and increasing pesticide costs.The state submitted that the DM's order followed consultations with scientists from Pantnagar Agriculture University, ICAR and IIT Roorkee. According to the state, experts were unanimous that summer paddy "should not be grown in non-waterlogged fields as it depletes groundwater and raises soil pH levels from 7 to 8".Chief agriculture officer Vikesh Kumar Yadav said, "Summer paddy is cultivated on 15,000-20,000 hectares and has adverse effects on soil health and the environment."The court held that "every state action must have the sanction of law". Since no legal provision prohibiting summer paddy cultivation was cited, the court found the DM's order "unsustainable" and set aside the Feb 4 order and allowed the petitioners to cultivate summer paddy irrespective of whether their fields are waterlogged.