Centre seeks 2 weeks from Supreme Court to frame Cauvery water-sharing plan

On April 9, the CJI’s bench had ordered the Centre to frame the draft scheme in the Cauvery dispute case by May 3 and told attorney general KK Venugopal that the Centre must prove its bonafide intention to resolve the 200-year-old inter-state water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The Centre informed the Supreme Court on Friday that it wants more time to frame the Cauvery water-sharing scheme, which, according to the court’s April 9 order, should be ready by May 3.

Members of Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association hold a protest demanding formation of Cauvery Water Management Board by the Centre, in Chennai. (PTI/File Photo)

Advocate Wasim Qadri appeared before a bench led by CJI Dipak Misra and said a formal application will be moved asking for two more weeks. He requested the bench to list the application on May 3, the next date of hearing in the matter, which court agreed to.

On April 9, the CJI’s bench of three judges had ordered the Centre to frame the scheme in consonance with the February 16 judgment in the Cauvery dispute case. It asked for the draft scheme by May 3 and told attorney general KK Venugopal that the Centre must prove its bonafide intention to resolve the 200-year-old inter-state water dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

As per the February verdict, the Centre was to frame the scheme by March 29. Yet, on the eve of the deadline, the Centre filed a fresh application asking for three months to follow the court direction, taking it well past the Karnataka assembly polls on May 12.

The Centre said that residents of Karnataka were passionate about the dispute and any decision before the elections will impact the process there. “You are bound by our decree... you are obliged to frame the scheme. We are surprised that it was not done... We have delivered the judgment after much study and difficulty... yet you did not show the resolve to frame the scheme,” CJI had told the AG on the last hearing.