SC slams Karnataka for ignoring PM’s Cauvery order

The Supreme Court today pulled up the Karnataka government for failing to comply with the directive of the Cauvery River Authority (CRA), headed by the Prime Minister, to release 9,000 cusecs of water a day to Tamil Nadu.

On 19 September the CRA had asked Karnataka to release this water to the neighbouring state till 15 October. Karnataka government representatives refused and walked out of the meeting. Tamil Nadu thereupon approached the apex court.

A bench comprising Justices D K Jain and Madan Lokur warned Karnataka that if it failed to comply with the CRA directive, the court would have to pass appropriate orders. ''This is the order passed by the CRA, headed by the Prime Minister. You don't want to comply with it. We are very sorry for the kind of respect you have for the highest authority. You comply with the directive or we will pass the order,'' the bench told counsel for the Karnataka government.

Earlier senior counsel C S Vaidyanathan, appearing for Tamil Nadu, urged the court to direct the union government under Article 355 of the Constitution to protect the state's interest. He said the court may direct deployment of the Army in Karnataka to ensure compliance with the CRA order.

Under Article 355, it is the duty of the union government to protect states against external aggression, internal disturbances and to ensure that the governance of the state is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

The apex court during the last hearing had refused to pass any order on Tamil Nadu's plea for more water, hoping that the CRA would be able to find an amicable solution to the river water row in its 19 September meeting. The bench, however, had clarified that it was only an interim arrangement till 20 September 2012 and the state governments can take appropriate steps if no solution to the problem emerged from the CRA meeting.