Cauvery water dispute: SC agrees to form a bench for hearing Tamil Nadu govt’s plea

The Cauvery River water-sharing dispute, in which Tamil Nadu is asking Karnataka to release 24,000 cusecs of water per day for standing crops, was accepted by the Supreme Court on Monday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said it will constitute a bench to hear the case today itself after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Tamil Nadu, sought an urgent hearing of the case.
Rohatgi sought an urgent hearing of the case saying the government of Tamil Nadu has filed an application in the Cauvery River water-sharing dispute case.

“This is an urgent plea for the release of Cauvery water for August as per the Cauvery Water Management Authority order. The court has to constitute a bench,” he said while urging to list it at the earliest also for hearing.
To this, the bench said, “Today itself I will constitute a Bench.”

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been engaged in a conflict over the sharing of water from the Cauvery River, which is a significant source of irrigation and drinking water for millions of people in the area, for decades. On June 2, 1990, the Centre established the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) to resolve disagreements regarding the water-sharing capacities between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry.

The government of Tamil Nadu has approached the apex court seeking fresh directions on the release of water.
Tamil Nadu in its fresh application sought direction to the State of Karnataka to immediately release 24,000 cubic feet per second (cusecs) from its reservoirs and ensure the availability of the specified quantity of water at Biligundlu on the inter-State border for the remainder of the month for meeting the pressing demands of the standing crops.