Karnataka to move Apex court over Cauvery verdict

The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court against the final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

The Cabinet meeting held on Thursday has taken a stand that the Tribunal’s final verdict delivered on February 5 this year was “unscientific” and “detrimental” to the interests of people in Karnataka.

The Tribunal had allocated Karnataka 270 tmc feet of Cauvery water against Tamil Nadu’s share of 419 tmc feet, triggering state-wide protests against the verdict. The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to urge the Supreme Court to annul the verdict.

Apart from filing a special leave petition before the Supreme Court, Karnataka Government has also decided to file a clarificatory petition before the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

With barely a fortnight left for Karnataka to formally question the Tribunal’s verdict within the stipulated 90 days after the delivery of the final order, the Government has decided to take urgent steps to file the special leave petition in the Supreme Court. “The special leave petition will be filed in a day or two”, according to sources in the Government.

Karnataka Cabinet’s decision to move the Supreme Court comes within days of Cauvery Farmers’ Protection Committee criticizing the coalition Government for delaying the process of taking legal steps to protect the farmers’ interests. The Committee threatened to move the Apex court on its own apprehending that the 90 day deadline for filing an appeal would lapse.

Meanwhile, the Cauvery Water Users’ Association of Bangalore has already challenged the Tribunal’s verdict in the Supreme Court. However, the writ petition filed by the Association challenges the award to the limited extent that it does not provide adequate drinking water to Bangalore.