The apex court on Wednesday (May 16) refused to pay heed to Karnataka’s repeated pleadings to block the Cauvery management scheme till the new government was formed in the state.

While asking the court to postpone the proceedings of the case to July first week, Senior Counsel Shyam Divan appearing for the Karnataka state said: “The government formation is going on. We too want to give suggestions on the draft scheme like the other States. You deferred the case many a time for the Centre. If that had not happened, we would not have been in this situation now. This scheme will be effective on us for 15 years. We have a right to say something. Stand this over till the first week of July.”

Objecting to Divan’s contentions, Senior Counsel for Tamil Nadu, Shekhar Naphade said “it is wrong to say that there is no government in Karnataka now. The court cannot wait till July as the first release of water from Cauvery is scheduled in June”.

The court took the views of the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Union Territory of Puducherry while agreeing to the four changes suggested by the states in the draft Cauvery management scheme of 2018.

It directed the Centre to incorporate the changes suggested by the states into the draft scheme within the next 24 hours.

The court on the previous hearing had directed the Centre to furnish draft scheme copies to the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry and check with them whether it is in conformity with the February 16 judgement of the Supreme Court.

—India Legal Bureau