Cauvery water row up for hearing
NEW DELHI: The Cauvery water dispute is one of the important hearings that will take place before the Supreme Court this week.the Centre is likely to seek an extension on setting up a mechanism to sort out the dispute over the sharing of the river water between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Its application, asking for more time, is expected to come up for hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice Dipak Misra on May 3.
As per an earlier court order, the time to prepare a draft scheme ends on May 3. Last week, the Centre had requested the CJI to list the application for a hearing. The request was
allowed. Whether the Centre will get an extension or not will be known only on the date of hearing. In its written submissions before the court, the Cen- tre had requested the SC to defer the implementation of its Cauvery verdict — allocating share of river water to the states — till the Karnataka elections, saying it was an emotive issue for the people of the state.
The second crucial hearing for the Centre pertains to the court’s judgment diluting the SC/ST law, meant to protect members of the community. On the request of attorney general KK Venugopal, a bench headed by justice AK Goel had agreed to hear the Centre’s review petition in the coming week.
The Centre wants the court to reconsider its verdict because “dilution” of the stringent provisions of the Act has resulted in “great damage” to the country. It has caused anger and a sense of disharmony among people, the Centre said in a written statement given to the court against the judgment.
Another case of water dispute will be heard by a bench headed by justice MB Lokur. Delhi and Haryana have to inform the court of the settlement they have arrived at over the sharing of Yamuna water.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association’s (Srinagar) petition against the use of pellet guns by security forces in the Valley is also listed for hearing in the top court. The lawyers’ body has been pressing for a ban on the pellets that left several stone pelters handicapped during protests in 2016 after the death of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wahi.