MP High Court Says Wrong Legal Advice Can't Deny Farmers MSP Dues

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has ruled that illiterate farmers cannot be deprived of their rightful Minimum Support Price (MSP) dues merely because they approached the wrong legal forum on the advice of counsel, while extending to them the same relief that had already been granted to similarly placed cultivators in earlier cases.

The Division Bench of Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal passed the order while deciding a batch of writ appeals involving claims for unpaid MSP amounts for agricultural produce sold under the State’s procurement scheme.

The court was dealing with multiple appeals raising a common issue. One of the appeals, filed by Abhishek Singh Patel and others, challenged an order of a Single Judge dismissing their writ petition on the ground that they had earlier approached the District Consumer Redressal Forum seeking similar relief. The remaining appeals had been filed by the State of Madhya Pradesh against orders directing payment of the balance MSP to farmers along with interest at the rate of six per cent per annum from the date of sale until actual payment.

Appearing for the farmers, Advocate Azad Krishna Bais submitted that the appellants did not fall within the definition of “consumer” and had approached the Consumer Forum due to incorrect legal advice. He argued that they were similarly situated to other farmers who had already obtained relief from the High Court in comparable matters. The State was represented by Government Advocate Ritwik Parashar.

The Bench noted that in an earlier decision in Gopal Singh & Others v. State of Madhya Pradesh & Others, a Single Judge had held that no fault could be attributed to farmers whose produce, particularly urad dal, had been sold during the 2018–19 procurement season. The court had then directed authorities to pay the MSP fixed by the State Government in accordance with the Price Support Scheme, observing that there was no valid justification for withholding payment. That judgment subsequently became the basis for relief granted in several other petitions filed by similarly placed farmers.

Considering the facts of the present case, the Division Bench accepted the submission that the farmers had wrongly invoked the jurisdiction of the Consumer Forum. However, it found that such an error could not be held against them, particularly when the forum lacked jurisdiction to entertain the dispute in the first place.

The court observed, “These appellants are illiterate farmers. Under the wrong advice, they approached the consumer forum.” It further held that “now they cannot be compelled to approach the appellate forum, because admittedly, the consumer forum has no jurisdiction in this matter.”

Emphasising substantive justice over procedural technicalities, the Bench concluded that the farmers should not suffer because of incorrect legal guidance. It therefore set aside the order dated June 30, 2025, through which the writ petition had been dismissed solely on the ground of the earlier consumer proceedings. The court directed that the relief claimed by the farmers be granted on the same terms as those already extended to other farmers in the connected matters.

Allowing Writ Appeal No. 2762 of 2025, the High Court clarified that the appellants would receive the benefit of the earlier judgments directing payment of the balance MSP along with applicable interest. At the same time, the Bench dismissed the State Government’s batch of appeals, effectively affirming the directions passed in favour of the farmers by the Single Judge.

The ruling reinforces the principle that procedural mistakes made due to incorrect legal advice should not defeat legitimate claims, particularly when vulnerable and illiterate farmers seek enforcement of statutory entitlements. By ensuring parity with earlier beneficiaries of the MSP scheme, the court has reaffirmed that administrative authorities cannot deny payments lawfully due under government procurement policies on technical grounds alone.

Case Title: Abhishek Singh Patel and Others v. The State of Madhya Pradesh and Others

Date of Order: May 11, 2026

Bench: Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal