Uttarakhand HC stays curbs on summer paddy, grants relief to farmers

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court on Wednesday intervened in an administrative order on summer paddy cultivation in Udham Singh Nagar district, granting interim relief to farmers by allowing them to prepare nurseries and continue cultivation until the next hearing.A single-judge bench of Justice Pankaj Purohit was hearing a petition filed on behalf of farmers challenging directives issued by the district magistrate on Feb 4, 2026, to all sub-divisional magistrates. The directives called for the destruction of unauthorised summer paddy nurseries and restricted cultivation to waterlogged areas.Counsel for the petitioners submitted that the farmers were residents of Gadarpur tehsil and that their landholdings were spread across areas that were not necessarily waterlogged. It was argued that the district magistrate's order violated the farmers' rights, with the petition also questioning the legal basis under which such directions were issued.Granting interim relief, the HC said "the petitioners' interests must be protected" and scheduled the next hearing for April 2.