The Supreme Court has sought Karnataka’s response to Tamil Nadu’s application seeking the release of water to make good an alleged shortfall in Karnataka’s supply of Cauvery water. Tamil Nadu claims a deficit of around 16 to 20 TMC in the current irrigation year; Karnataka, opposing the plea, cited a drought-like situation and said it had released water in excess of the CWMA’s directions. The Court asked Karnataka to reply within a week and observed the CWMA should decide the deficit issue.
The Supreme Court has declined to entertain a writ petition by a society seeking reallocation of about 70 TMC of Cauvery water from Tamil Nadu’s share to Karnataka’s, observing that the inter-State dispute is already being contested by the two States before the appropriate forums. If it began entertaining a society’s petition on a dispute between two States, the Court said, there would be no end. The Court, itself seized of the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu proceedings, dismissed the plea.
