Tamil Nadu CM chairs cabinet meet to discuss legal steps on Cauvery plea in SC

Tamil Nadu moved the contempt plea in the SC on March 31, seeking action against the Centre for allegedly failing to form the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee within six weeks.

Chief minister K Palaniswami on Saturday discussed with his cabinet colleagues the next legal steps over Tamil Nadu’s plea in the Supreme Court, seeking contempt action against the Centre for not constituting the Cauvery Management Board (CMB) within the stipulated period of six weeks.

The Supreme Court raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share, while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a higher pedestal. (PTI file photo)

Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, fisheries minister D Jayakumar, law minister CV Shanmugam advocates representing the state in the court, including counsel Shekhar Naphade, attended the meeting, the government said.

Tamil Nadu moved the contempt plea in the apex court on March 31, seeking action against the Centre for allegedly failing to form the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) within six weeks as ordered by the court on February 16.

In the plea, Tamil Nadu has said the central government was bound to give effect to the judgement by framing a scheme top put in place the CMB and the CWRC within six weeks.

On February 16, the Supreme Court raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu’s share, while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a “higher pedestal”.

The court had granted six weeks time to the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance of its 465-page judgement on the decades-old Cauvery dispute, which modified the CWDT award of 2007 and made it clear that it will not be extending time for this on any ground.

It had said its verdict on Cauvery water allocation will continue for the next 15 years.