‘SHEER CONTEMPT’ SC on Centre's delay over Cauvery Board

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday told the Centre that it was in “sheer contempt” of its direction on Cauvery water sharing for failing to frame a scheme for distribution of water between the southern riparian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry.

The top court directed the Secretary of the Union Water Resources Ministry to personally appear before it on May 14 with a draft of the Cauvery management scheme to implement its verdict on water sharing between four states including Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

It had in February asked the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance with its judgement on the decades-old Cauvery dispute.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra told the Centre that once the judgment has been delivered on the issue, it has to be implemented.

While posting the matter for May 14, the bench, which was not happy with the development, said the Centre was in a “sheer contempt”.

“We do not want to come back to square one. Once the judgment has been delivered, it has to be implemented,” the bench also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said. Attorney General K K Venugopal said the Centre was seeking time given the fact that the Union Cabinet has not met due to the ongoing campaigning for the assembly polls in the southern state of Karnataka.

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