Cauvery dispute: Supreme Court dismisses Tamil Nadu’s plea against Mekedatu project

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by the Tamil Nadu government challenging Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir Project across the Cauvery river, calling the petition “premature”.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, and comprising Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria, observed that the project was still at a preliminary stage, with the Central Water Commission (CWC) having permitted only the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) — subject to expert review and inter-state consultations.

“At this stage, what is being done by the order passed by the CWC is only permitting the preparation of the DPR, that too after taking into consideration the objections of the State of Tamil Nadu, the experts of the CWMA and CWRC,” the bench said.

The court further noted that the CWC had directed that prior approval from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) would be a prerequisite before the DPR could be considered. “In that view of the matter, we find the present application is at a premature stage,” the bench added.

The judges emphasised that a final decision would only be taken after the DPR was prepared and reviewed by both expert bodies.

Referring to an earlier order from August 2023, the bench reiterated its earlier stance that technical water-sharing matters should be left to experts. “We reiterate what was observed in our order dated August 25, 2023 — that we don’t possess expertise. This court time and again reiterated that this court should refrain from areas which are best reserved for experts,” the bench observed.

However, the top court made clear that Karnataka remains bound by its obligation to release Cauvery water in accordance with previous directions. “If Karnataka fails to comply with the directions of this court, it faces the risk of committing contempt of the court,” the order said.

The Mekedatu balancing reservoir, proposed near the Karnataka–Tamil Nadu border at Kanakapura in Bengaluru South district (formerly Ramanagara), is a long-standing project championed by Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, aimed at providing drinking water to Bengaluru and stabilising irrigation in surrounding regions.