SC Raps Karnataka For Defying Orders On Cauvery Water Release

New Delhi: Taking Karnataka to task for its repeated defiance by flouting its orders for release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, Supreme Court on Friday asked it to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from Saturday till October 6, warning no one would know when the wrath of the law would fall on it.

The apex court gave the last opportunity to the Siddaramiah government to release 6,000 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from October 1-6, despite a unanimous resolution passed by both house of Assembly.

Karnataka shall not be bent upon to take an obstinate and stand of defiance as one does not know when wrath of the law will fall upon them.

Karnataka despite being a state is flouting the order and creating a situation when the majesty of law is dented. We would have proceeded to take steps for strict compliance of the order but we have directed Cauvery Water Management Board to first study the ground realities and submit a report, a bench of Justices Dipak Misra and U U Lalit said.

“Karnataka shall not be bent upon to take an obstinate and stand of defiance as one does not know when wrath of the law will fall upon them”, the bench said while directing the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Water Management Board by October 4.

It ordered all the stakeholders - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pudduchery - to give names by 4 pm on Saturday of their representatives to be included in the board which would be chaired by the Union Water Resources Minister.

The bench reminded Karnataka that it is bound by Article 144 of the Constitution and aid in compliance of the order of the Supreme Court.

At the outset, senior advocate F S Nariman, representing Karnataka, referred to the communications between him and the Chief Minister Siddaramiah. Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Tamil Nadu, expressed anguish on behalf of the state saying Karnataka has already made up its mind that it is not going to comply with the apex court directions.

PTI