Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Tamil Nadu’s Plea Against Karnataka in Cauvery Reservoir Case
Bench terms the petition “premature,” says project approval subject to expert review
New Delhi (Fikrokhabar News): The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government against Karnataka over the construction of a reservoir across the Cauvery River, calling the plea “premature.”
A bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice K. Vinod Chandran, and Justice N.V. Anjaria observed that the project — the proposed Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir — would only be approved after considering the objections raised by the Tamil Nadu government and the opinions of experts from the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).
“At this stage, the Central Water Commission (CWC) has only permitted the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR), that too after examining the objections of Tamil Nadu and the expert bodies CWMA and CWRC,” the bench noted.
The court further emphasized that the CWC had clearly stated that prior approval from the CWMA and CWRC would be a prerequisite before the DPR could be considered. “In this context, we find the present application to be premature,” the bench ruled.
Reiterating its earlier stance from August 25, 2023, the Supreme Court said, “We do not have the technical expertise in such matters.”
The bench also pointed out that Karnataka remains bound by the court’s previous directions to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and warned that failure to comply could amount to contempt of court.
