In an effort to turn the tides in its favour over Cauvery water release, the Karnataka government has approached the Supreme Court on Saturday and sought an urgent review on the orders to set up the Cauvery Management Board (CMB).
The Karnataka government filed a review petition in the apex court against its three recent orders on Cauvery water release to Tamil Nadu and direction for the constitution of Cauvery Water Management Board by the Centre, saying it would cause “undue hardship” to the state.
In the petition, Karnataka said “grave miscarriage of justice” has been caused to it pursuant to three orders of the apex court dated September 20, 27 and September 30, by which it directed the state to release 6,000 cusecs of water till October 6 and constitution of board by Centre till October 4.
It said that the apex court has “committed an error” in directing the Centre to constitute the Cauvery Management Board, without considering the fact that three judges of apex court has held in 2013 that direction to constitute the board “can wait and may be heard along with the Civil Appeal”.
“The court has not taken the cognizance of the fact that the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board, being Legislative in character, depends upon the authority exercising the power as well as the nature of the function and obligation arising from the Legislation”, it said in the review plea.
The plea moved by Karnataka said further water release orders from the reservoirs of Karnataka would “cause irreparable injury” to Karnataka as once the release are made from the reservoirs of the state, the water cannot be retrieved in case of good normal northeast monsoon.
The apex court had yesterday taken Karnataka to task for its repeated “defiance” by flouting its orders for release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and had directed it to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from Saturday till October 6.
It had warned Karnataka that no one would know when the “wrath of the law” would fall on it.
Emerging out of a more than a three-hour long all-party meeting in Bengaluru, BJP and JDS leaders said they told the government to stick to the resolution passed by both the Houses of state legislature on September 23 that water should be used only for drinking purpose, and not be spared for any other use.
The opposition parties also asked the Siddaramaiah government to oppose the formation of the Cauvery Water Management Board.
“We should not obey the Supreme Court order at any cost as it is unimplementable. The House (legislature) decision should be upheld.
Government should stick to the decision,” Opposition BJP leader in the assembly Jagadish Shettar told reporters in Bengaluru.
JDS leader YSV Datta said the state should not release 6,000 cusecs of water as directed by the apex court “at any cost”. “Whatever may be the consequences, we will all face it together. We are with the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Prime Minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda began an “indefinite” fast seeking “justice” for Karnataka in the ongoing row with Tamil Nadu.
(With inputs from PTI)
