India puts three contentious farm laws on hold following nationwide protests

India's Supreme Court has put three contentious farm laws on hold until further notice, after months of massive nationwide protests by farmers who say their livelihoods are at stake.

In an order issued Tuesday, the court said that the decision to suspend the laws "may assuage the hurt feelings of the farmers and encourage them to come to the negotiating table with confidence and good faith." The laws were first passed in September. For decades, the Indian government has offered guaranteed prices to farmers for certain crops, providing long-term certainty that allows them to make investments for the next crop cycle. The new laws, initiated by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instead allowed farmers to sell their goods to anyone for any price -- giving them more freedom to do things such as sell directly to buyers and sell to other states.