The Karnataka government on Saturday decided to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the setting up of the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) on the grounds that the formation should have been discussed in Parliament.
The decision was taken unanimously at an all-party meeting on Saturday, convened by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, to plan the State’s next move on the Cauvery issue.
The meeting also resolved that two senior officials — nominated by the State government as its representatives to the Authority and the Committee — would participate in the CWMA’s first meeting to be held on July 2 to present Karnataka’s views, said Water Resources and Medical Education Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
The participants also resolved to raise the issue in Parliament. Karnataka had initially not nominated its representatives, as it opposed any move to form the Authority. However, subsequently, the government nominated two senior officials “under protest so as to curtail any further damages to the State’s interests.”
“Our decision to file an appeal in the Supreme Court will be guided by our legal team led by Fali S. Nariman and Mohan S. Katarki apart from Advocate General Uday Holla. They will work out the modalities and the context based on which we can approach the Supreme Court. Following this, the government will take a call on whether to file a review petition or curative petition,” Mr Shivakumar said.
Meeting with PM
Pointing out that the Chief Minister had personally met the Prime Minister and Union Water Resources Minister on the issue related to the Cauvery water management scheme during his June 18 visit to Delhi, Mr. Shivakumar said despite the State’s reservations, the Centre had notified and constituted the regulatory committee and authority “in haste.”
“Karnataka has been affected by the Supreme Court’s judgement on the Cauvery water management scheme. According to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act, 1956, such matters should be tabled and deliberated on in the Parliament,” he argued.
Union Ministers Ananth Kumar and D.V. Sadanada Gowda of the BJP (both MPs from the State), Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara, Leader of Opposition B.S. Yeddyurappa, all ministers in the State Cabinet, legislators representing constituencies in the Cauvery basin area, apart from several top officials, participated in the meeting.
