Latest update, 12.15 pm: Tamil Nadu has called the Supreme Court verdict as being "unfair" for the people of the state, and said it will need to study the judgment in greater detail. However, the DMK has already accused the state government of not "properly handling the case" and called for the resignation of Chief Minister E Palaniswamy.
The Supreme Court has ordered Karnataka to release 177 TMC of water to Tamil Nadu, after saying one state cannot claim ownership over a river. Karnataka will also get 14.75 additional TMC of water, while 4.7 out of this will be for Bengaluru city alone, the court has held.
Meanwhile, security has been beefed up across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka ahead of the Supreme Court's verdict on the Cauvery water dispute between the two states. In Bengaluru, 15,000 policemen have been deployed to maintain peace, while state transport buses aren't plying between the two states.
The Supreme Court is likely to pronounce on Friday its verdict on the decades-old Cauvery water dispute between riparian south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud had on 20 September last year reserved the verdict on the appeals filed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal (CWDT) on sharing of water.
File image of Supreme Court of India. AP
The decades-old Cauvery water dispute was decided unanimously by CWDT in 2007, after determining the total availability of water in the Cauvery basin at 740 thousand million cubic feet at the Lower Coleroon Anicut site, including 14 thousand million cubic feet for environmental protection.
The final award makes a yearly allocation of 419 thousand million cubic feet to Tamil Nadu in the entire Cauvery basin, 270 thousand million cubic feet to Karnataka, 30 thousand million cubic feet to Kerala and 7 thousand million cubic feet to Puducherry.
The top court had earlier clarified that any other forum could touch the matter relating to the Cauvery river basin only after it gives its verdict.
The apex court had in January said the verdict would be pronounced within a month, adding that the matter has already created enough confusion for decades.
The top court during the course of pendency of appeals of the neighbouring states against the arbitral award of 2007, had passed several orders directing Karnataka to release Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
On 30 September, 2016, the Supreme Court had pulled up Karnataka for its repeated "defiance" in flouting its orders for releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and said no one would know when the "wrath of the law" would fall on it.
Later, Karnataka had moved a review petition in the apex court against its three orders on on the issue and direction to the Centre to create the Cauvery Water Management Board (CWMB), saying "grave miscarriage of justice" had been caused to it following the three apex court orders of 20, 27 and 30 September, by which it was directed to release water.
Tamil Nadu had earliar also alleged that Kerala was drawing water in excess of what has been allocated to it by the tribunal.
The apex court had on 9 December, 2016 upheld the maintainability of appeals filed by the riparian states saying it has the "jurisdiction to decide the parameters, scope, authority and jurisdiction of the tribunal".
The court had rejected the Centre's objection that the CWDT award amounted to a final decree and it had no jurisdiction to hear the appeals against the award.
Published Date: Feb 16, 2018 12:15 PM | Updated Date: Feb 16, 2018 12:39 PM
Highlights
BS Yeddyurappa welcomes Supreme Court decision
Kamal Haasan hopes governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu won't play politics with verdict
"The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu shouldn't play politics over the Cauvery river dispute. It's high time Karnataka and Tamil Nadu behave like one family again and stop fighting. The Cauvery Management Board has to be formed properly, and we must focus on the functioning of this board," Kamal Haasan said after the verdict of the Supreme Court.
Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan has said he's 'shocked' at the Supreme Court's verdict
I am shocked at the reduction of water. But the court has done its due dilligent work and probed the various factors at play. Farmers must now focus on conserving water and making the most of what has been allocated to us.
Commuters face inconvenience at Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border
Judgment will benefit Siddaramaiah, hurt BJP in Karnataka polls, says political analyst Harish Ramaswamy
Harish Ramaswamy, political analyst and professor with Karnataka University, has called the Supreme Court judgment positive. “It should be in favour of Congress, because Chief Minister Siddaramaiah refused to budge an inch following the earlier Supreme Court order in 2016. He took a risk in the Legislative Assembly, and said that even if it means contempt of court, he won't give water when people don't have it.
"BJP has consistently flopped this time, in case of Mahadayi and Cauvery. Theirs was a judgemental and leadership error. Politically it’s their loss. If they think only Hindutva will pay them dividends, it is going to be tough. Since it is a pro-farmer verdict, JD(S) will tend to gain. And in the old Mysore region, it will be a close fight for Congress and JD(S)," Ramaswamy said.
— Inputs by Prabhu Mallikarjunan
Siddaramaiah announces Karnataka state Budget
Verdict will serve the interests of both states, says Mohan V Katarki, counsel for Karnataka
Welcome judgment, says former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettigar
More water for Bengaluru a welcome move, says Namma Bengaluru Foundation
Sridhar Pabbisetty, CEO of Namma Bengaluru Foundation, reserved his opinion on the judgment saying he would need to study it carefully before making any further comments. However, he said, "The Cauvery dispute is a longstanding one dating back to 1924. The fact that Bengaluru will receive an additional 4.7 TMC of water is a welcome move."
Political blame games begin in Tamil Nadu
The DMK has slammed the AIADMK state government for the Supreme Court verdict not going in Tamil Nadu's favour, saying Chief Minister E Palaniswamy must resign for "not handling the case" properly.
Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) had ordered 419 TMC for Tamil Nadu and 270 TMC for Karnataka in 2007
AIADMK leader V Maitreyan calls it 'grave injustice'
AIADMK leader from Tamil Nadu, V Maitreyan, has said it's a "grave injustice" to the people of Tamil Nadu. However, he hoped that the Karnataka government will honour the Supreme Court's order and release the required water to Tamil Nadu. He also said they will study the judgment in greater detail.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge says verdict will help Bengaluru
Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress' leader from Karnataka, has said Bengaluru is a city with a huge population with huge water requirements, and needs more water to get through its water scarcity crisis.
Tamil Nadu says it's disappointed, but will study judgment and take 'appropriate steps'
Navneeth Krishnan, counsel for Tamil Nadu, says the Tamil Nadu government will study the judgment and take appropriate steps. He said they will respect the law, and that the government is "definitely" capable of handling the situation.
However, he said that he is disappointed with the reduction in water to the state.
Karnataka says it's 'very happy' with court verdict
Karnataka has called it a "balanced verdict" and said it's "very happy" with the allocation given to it by the Supreme Court. It said Bangalore's water crisis will be greatly eased due to the allocation.
Bengaluru to receive additional 4 TMC of water
The city recently came second in a list of 11 cities that are facing the imminent threat of running out of water based on an UN-backed study.
Read the full article here: http://www.firstpost.com/india/after-cape-town-bengaluru-set-to-face-major-water-crisis-atrocious-state-of-bellandur-lake-a-result-of-apathy-by-authorities-4350769.html
Karnataka says its allocation has increased
"Our allocation has been substantially enhanced, and we will get an additional 14 TMC of water. Bengaluru city, which was facing water shortage, alone will get an additional 4.7 TMC water," says Brijesh Kalappa, Supreme Court advocate.
Karnataka asked to provide Tamil Nadu with 177 TMC of water
The Supreme Court asked Karnataka to provide Tamil Nadu with 177 TMC of Cauvery water. The court also said Karnataka will get 14.75 TMC of additional water.
Judges begin reading out verdict
The Supreme Court has reportedly said no one state can claim ownership of a river, while announcing its verdict into the Cauvery river water dispute.
District superintendent dismisses reports that Section 144 is imposed in Mandya
Mandya district superintendent of police G Radhika said the situation was under control in Mandya and they have not imposed Section 144. "We have put pickets and secured the area around premier educational institutions, central and state government offices," Radhika said, dismissing all media reports claiming Section 144 was imposed around KRS Dam.
— Input by Prabhu Mallikarjunan
Section 144 imposed around the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya, claim media reports
Security has been beefed up in Mandya, with eight deputy superintendents of police, 25 circle inspectors, 150 assistant senior inspectors, 1,300 policemen being deployed, The News Minute reported. In addition, Section 144 has also been imposed in the town's KRS Dam, which has often seen violent clashes in the past.
Security beefed up in Bengaluru
"50 platoons of Karnataka Special Reserve Police and 30 platoons of City Reserved Police have been asked to be on alert. In addition to this, more than 15,000 policemen have been deployed across Bengaluru to maintain calm in case violence breaks out," Suneel Kumar, Bengaluru police commissioner said.
— Input by Nivedita Niranjankumar
'5,000 acres of crops dying in Tamil Nadu because of lack of water'
The Tamil Nadu farmers' association has said failure to release water to the state has resulted in large-scale crop losses, in as much as 5,000 acres of land.
Siddaramaiah didn't respond to Tamil Nadu's request for talks, says TN farmers' association
E Palaniswamy govt completes one year today
The row over the Cauvery river dispute has sidelined the one-year anniversary of E Palaniswamy as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. If the verdict does go in Tamil Nadu's favour, there are likely to be large-scale celebrations across the state.
The Cauvery river dispute has been raging since the 19th Century
Dispute over the Cauvery water had raged during the British era, between the erstwhile Mysore and Madras provinces. The State of Mysore had planned to build a dam across the river way back in 1880, which the state of Madras objected to, as reported by rediff.com.
Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar calls it an 'inept legal effort' by Karnataka govt
Security beefed up across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have enforced massive security arrangements in place, hours ahead of the Supreme Court's verdict on the long-standing dispute between the two states.
Tamil Nadu state transport to not run buses to Karnataka today
As a precautionary measure, the Tamil Nadu state transport corporation has decided against running bus services to Karnataka, India Today reported. In all, about 180 bus services operate between the two states every day.
12:39 (IST)
The troubled waters of the Cauvery
13:19 (IST)
BS Yeddyurappa welcomes Supreme Court decision
13:18 (IST)
Kamal Haasan hopes governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu won't play politics with verdict
"The governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu shouldn't play politics over the Cauvery river dispute. It's high time Karnataka and Tamil Nadu behave like one family again and stop fighting. The Cauvery Management Board has to be formed properly, and we must focus on the functioning of this board," Kamal Haasan said after the verdict of the Supreme Court.
13:17 (IST)
Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan has said he's 'shocked' at the Supreme Court's verdict
I am shocked at the reduction of water. But the court has done its due dilligent work and probed the various factors at play. Farmers must now focus on conserving water and making the most of what has been allocated to us.
12:00 (IST)
Commuters face inconvenience at Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border
11:51 (IST)
Judgment will benefit Siddaramaiah, hurt BJP in Karnataka polls, says political analyst Harish Ramaswamy
Harish Ramaswamy, political analyst and professor with Karnataka University, has called the Supreme Court judgment positive. “It should be in favour of Congress, because Chief Minister Siddaramaiah refused to budge an inch following the earlier Supreme Court order in 2016. He took a risk in the Legislative Assembly, and said that even if it means contempt of court, he won't give water when people don't have it.
"BJP has consistently flopped this time, in case of Mahadayi and Cauvery. Theirs was a judgemental and leadership error. Politically it’s their loss. If they think only Hindutva will pay them dividends, it is going to be tough. Since it is a pro-farmer verdict, JD(S) will tend to gain. And in the old Mysore region, it will be a close fight for Congress and JD(S)," Ramaswamy said.
— Inputs by Prabhu Mallikarjunan
11:44 (IST)
Siddaramaiah announces Karnataka state Budget
11:43 (IST)
Siddaramaiah says he'll study judgment before offering comment
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, while presenting the state Budget, has spoken about the Supreme Court verdict on the Cauvery water dispute. He has said he'll need to speak with his lawyers and study the judgment before making his remarks.
11:34 (IST)
Verdict will serve the interests of both states, says Mohan V Katarki, counsel for Karnataka
11:31 (IST)
Welcome judgment, says former Karnataka chief minister Jagadish Shettigar
11:27 (IST)
More water for Bengaluru a welcome move, says Namma Bengaluru Foundation
Sridhar Pabbisetty, CEO of Namma Bengaluru Foundation, reserved his opinion on the judgment saying he would need to study it carefully before making any further comments. However, he said, "The Cauvery dispute is a longstanding one dating back to 1924. The fact that Bengaluru will receive an additional 4.7 TMC of water is a welcome move."
11:23 (IST)
SC holds Cauvery Water Tribunal's view as being 'unsustainable'
11:22 (IST)
Political blame games begin in Tamil Nadu
The DMK has slammed the AIADMK state government for the Supreme Court verdict not going in Tamil Nadu's favour, saying Chief Minister E Palaniswamy must resign for "not handling the case" properly.
11:19 (IST)
Hope Karnataka govt will take appropriate steps to release water, says Tamil Nadu
11:14 (IST)
Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) had ordered 419 TMC for Tamil Nadu and 270 TMC for Karnataka in 2007
11:13 (IST)
AIADMK leader V Maitreyan calls it 'grave injustice'
AIADMK leader from Tamil Nadu, V Maitreyan, has said it's a "grave injustice" to the people of Tamil Nadu. However, he hoped that the Karnataka government will honour the Supreme Court's order and release the required water to Tamil Nadu. He also said they will study the judgment in greater detail.
11:10 (IST)
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge says verdict will help Bengaluru
Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress' leader from Karnataka, has said Bengaluru is a city with a huge population with huge water requirements, and needs more water to get through its water scarcity crisis.
11:05 (IST)
Tamil Nadu says it's disappointed, but will study judgment and take 'appropriate steps'
Navneeth Krishnan, counsel for Tamil Nadu, says the Tamil Nadu government will study the judgment and take appropriate steps. He said they will respect the law, and that the government is "definitely" capable of handling the situation.
However, he said that he is disappointed with the reduction in water to the state.
10:57 (IST)
Karnataka says it's 'very happy' with court verdict
Karnataka has called it a "balanced verdict" and said it's "very happy" with the allocation given to it by the Supreme Court. It said Bangalore's water crisis will be greatly eased due to the allocation.
10:54 (IST)
Bengaluru to receive additional 4 TMC of water
The city recently came second in a list of 11 cities that are facing the imminent threat of running out of water based on an UN-backed study.
Read the full article here: http://www.firstpost.com/india/after-cape-town-bengaluru-set-to-face-major-water-crisis-atrocious-state-of-bellandur-lake-a-result-of-apathy-by-authorities-4350769.html
10:54 (IST)
Karnataka says its allocation has increased
"Our allocation has been substantially enhanced, and we will get an additional 14 TMC of water. Bengaluru city, which was facing water shortage, alone will get an additional 4.7 TMC water," says Brijesh Kalappa, Supreme Court advocate.
10:48 (IST)
Karnataka asked to provide Tamil Nadu with 177 TMC of water
The Supreme Court asked Karnataka to provide Tamil Nadu with 177 TMC of Cauvery water. The court also said Karnataka will get 14.75 TMC of additional water.
10:43 (IST)
Judges begin reading out verdict
The Supreme Court has reportedly said no one state can claim ownership of a river, while announcing its verdict into the Cauvery river water dispute.
10:32 (IST)
SC pulls up Karnataka for defying its orders, say media reports
The Supreme Court has reportedly pulled up Karnataka for its repeated defiance in flouting its orders for releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
10:30 (IST)
Schools declare half-day in Bengaluru, say media reports
Media reports from Bengaluru have reported that private schools have declared it a half-day in light of the Supreme Court's verdict on the long-standing dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery river water sharing.
10:15 (IST)
District superintendent dismisses reports that Section 144 is imposed in Mandya
Mandya district superintendent of police G Radhika said the situation was under control in Mandya and they have not imposed Section 144. "We have put pickets and secured the area around premier educational institutions, central and state government offices," Radhika said, dismissing all media reports claiming Section 144 was imposed around KRS Dam.
— Input by Prabhu Mallikarjunan
10:10 (IST)
Section 144 imposed around the Krishna Raja Sagara dam in Mandya, claim media reports
Security has been beefed up in Mandya, with eight deputy superintendents of police, 25 circle inspectors, 150 assistant senior inspectors, 1,300 policemen being deployed, The News Minute reported. In addition, Section 144 has also been imposed in the town's KRS Dam, which has often seen violent clashes in the past.
10:02 (IST)
Security beefed up in Bengaluru
"50 platoons of Karnataka Special Reserve Police and 30 platoons of City Reserved Police have been asked to be on alert. In addition to this, more than 15,000 policemen have been deployed across Bengaluru to maintain calm in case violence breaks out," Suneel Kumar, Bengaluru police commissioner said.
— Input by Nivedita Niranjankumar
09:52 (IST)
'5,000 acres of crops dying in Tamil Nadu because of lack of water'
The Tamil Nadu farmers' association has said failure to release water to the state has resulted in large-scale crop losses, in as much as 5,000 acres of land.
09:50 (IST)
Siddaramaiah didn't respond to Tamil Nadu's request for talks, says TN farmers' association
09:44 (IST)
E Palaniswamy govt completes one year today
The row over the Cauvery river dispute has sidelined the one-year anniversary of E Palaniswamy as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. If the verdict does go in Tamil Nadu's favour, there are likely to be large-scale celebrations across the state.
09:39 (IST)
The Cauvery river dispute has been raging since the 19th Century
Dispute over the Cauvery water had raged during the British era, between the erstwhile Mysore and Madras provinces. The State of Mysore had planned to build a dam across the river way back in 1880, which the state of Madras objected to, as reported by rediff.com.
09:21 (IST)
Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrashekhar calls it an 'inept legal effort' by Karnataka govt
09:18 (IST)
Fewer buses plying to Karnataka, say commuters
09:07 (IST)
Security beefed up across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have enforced massive security arrangements in place, hours ahead of the Supreme Court's verdict on the long-standing dispute between the two states.
09:03 (IST)
Tamil Nadu state transport to not run buses to Karnataka today
As a precautionary measure, the Tamil Nadu state transport corporation has decided against running bus services to Karnataka, India Today reported. In all, about 180 bus services operate between the two states every day.
08:39 (IST)
Pre-Independence agreements were between Mysore Maharaja and British govt: Karnataka's irrigation minister
"We have argued on four major planks. One, we have challenged the validity of the pre-Independence agreements of 1892 and 1924 as those were between the Mysore Maharaja and the British government. These should cease to be valid after we got freedom."
"Second, the Cauvery tribunal’s award did not look at the latest requirement of Karnataka, which has increased since Independence and the requirements of both states are more or less equal now," Hindustan Times quoted Karnataka's irrigation minister MB Patil as saying.
08:18 (IST)
SC bench had reserved verdict on 20 September last year
The bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Amitava Roy and Justice AM Khanwilkar had reserved the verdict on 20 September, 2017 after hearing the matter for 29 days spread over eight months.
Both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had approached the top court soon after the 2007 award was announced, assailing it on several counts.
The Centre had opposed the top court adjudicating over the Cauvery River Water Dispute Award, contending that the appeals by the three states and the union territory of Puducherry were not maintainable as under the Constitution's Article 262 read with Section 11 of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, the top court was barred from hearing the appeals. — IANS