The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Tamil Nadu’s plea challenging the construction of the Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir Project across the Cauvery river by Karnataka, describing the petition as “premature”.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and N.V. Anjaria observed that the project was still at the stage of preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR), which would require approval from multiple expert bodies before any final clearance.
“At this stage, what is being done by the order passed by the Central Water Commission (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 court noted.
The Bench clarified that the CWC had directed prior approval from both the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) before the DPR could be formally considered. “In that view of the matter, we find the present application is at a premature stage,” the court said.
Reiterating its earlier stand from August 2023, the apex court said it would not enter into technical or expert domains. “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.
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The court added that Karnataka remains bound by its obligation to release water as directed in previous judicial orders. “If Karnataka fails to comply with the directions of this court, it faces the risk of committing contempt of the court,” the order stated.
The proposed Mekedatu reservoir, located at the confluence of the Cauvery and Arkavathi rivers near Kanakapura in Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s hometown, aims to serve as a balancing reservoir to regulate water supply to Bengaluru and surrounding districts.
Tamil Nadu, however, has maintained that the project would affect its share of Cauvery water and violate inter-state agreements ratified by the court. The Bench clarified that Tamil Nadu’s concerns will be taken into account by the regulatory authorities before any final approval is given to the DPR.
The Supreme Court’s decision effectively allows Karnataka to continue preparatory work under the supervision of central and expert bodies, while keeping the final nod subject to review and compliance with the established water-sharing framework.
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