In his submissions before a bench comprising Chief Justice K S Radhakrishnan and Justice Akil Kureshi on Friday, Thakar said that when Mahatma Gandhi launched a movement against the Salt Law in 1930, his locus standi was not questioned by the then British government.

Explaining the matter, he said that Gandhi was not directly affected by the Salt Law as he was not a salt manufacturer, yet he launched a movement, as the unjust laws were against the interest of the common people.

In a similar fashion, he had represented an organisation devoted to the cause of farmers, Thakar said. He added that he had since long a long time fought farm-related battles through public agitations and legal means and this justified his locus standi on the matter.

He further said that the land allotted to Tata Motors was acquired by the same British government that had massacred Indians in Jallianwala Bagh. “By saying that the land was acquired by the British government in the early 19th century, the state government is favouring the then British government,” he added.