SC directed Government to notify Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal Award

The Supreme Court of India on 4 February 2013 directed the Union Government of India to notify the six-year-old final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal by 20 February 2013. A bench headed by Justice RM Lodha expressed displeasure over the government not notifying the award even after the warring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had agreed before it on 4 January 2013 that they had no objection if the award was notified. The Centre had earlier assured the apex court that it would notify the tribunal’s award by 31 December 2013.

The apex court also directed Karnataka to release 2 Thousand Million Cubic feet, of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and directed the Central Water Commission to file a report on the water requirement of the two states. It asked the Commission to form a three-member expert body which will visit the states and directed it to file report within two days. The court posted the matter for further hearing on 7 February 2013.

The court was hearing Tamil Nadu's petition seeking the immediate release of 12 TMC of water.