SC refuses to interfere with order to release Cauvery water to TN, protests erupt in Karnataka

Karnataka approached the apex court seeking a direction to the CWMA to reconsider its order to release 5,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to interfere with the order of Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Regulatory Committee (CWRC) to release 5,000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu, following which protests erupted in Karnataka.

While Karnataka sought parley and Centre’s intervention, Tamil Nadu ruled out scope for talks.
Ahead of the court ruling, citing drought-like situation, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Deputy D K Shivakumar conveyed to the Centre that it is not in a position to release water and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention.

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A bench of Justices BR Gavai, PS Narasimha and Prashant Kumar Mishra noted that bodies like CWMA and Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee (CWRC), which have experts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), and those on agriculture and water resource management, have considered all relevant aspects like drought, deficit rainfall, water level in the river and only then passed the order.

“We are therefore of the considered view that the factors which have been taken into consideration by both the authorities cannot be said to be irrelevant or extraneous. In that view, we are not inclined to interfere with the orders,” the bench said.

Karnataka approached the apex court seeking a direction to the CWMA to reconsider its order to release 5,000 cusecs to Tamil Nadu.

Before the top court pronounced its order, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar called on Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in Delhi and informed him of the state’s inability to comply with the CWMA’s order.

Shivakumar sought PM Modi’s intervention to resolve the issue by convening a meeting of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry, the riparian states. BJP MPs, including union ministers Shobha Karandlaje, Bhagawanth Khuba and A Narayanaswamy as well as Karnataka ministers, were present in the meeting.