Bengaluru: Karnataka has filed a review petition challenging Supreme Court’s series of orders passed on September 20, 27 and 30 directing Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
Karnataka has also questioned formation of Cauvery River Management Board (CRMB. The petition is likely to come up for hearing on October 3.
The state in its petition argued that only the Parliament can constitute the CRMB and the Supreme Court cannot interfere in the matter. It backed its argument by referring to section 6A (7)of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act,1956, which made it clear that constitution of a scheme or any regulation of a tribunal order could only be done by Parliament and also to section 6A and its subsection 7, which stated that the Supreme Court could not encroach on the legislative powers of the Centre.
The state has also pointed out that its main civil appeal challenging the tribunal order on release of water to Tamil Nadu is slated to come up for hearing before a three member bench of the Supreme Court on October 18.
And recalling that the bench in question had directed the Centre to constitute an adhoc Cauvery Supervisory Committee (CSC) till the disposal of this petition, it contended that the fresh order of the court to set up a CRMB was contradictory to it.
Karnataka has already defied two Supreme Court orders dated September 20 and 30. The State can face charges of contempt of court in event of further defiance. Meanwhile, state counsel Fali Nariman is in favour of releasing small quanta of water to Tamil Nadu.
The apex court on Friday directed the Centre to constitute Cauvery Water Management Board within three days and adjourned the hearing of the case to October 6. The Chief Minister on Thursday had requested the Centre to constitute an expert committee to study the availability of water in the Cauvery reservoir, as it doesn’t have sufficient amount to meet its drinking needs.