SC asks Water Resources Secy to bring draft Cauvery management scheme on May 14

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Union Water Resources Ministry Secretary to appear before it on May 14 with a draft of the Cauvery management scheme for implementation of its verdict on water sharing among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

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

"We do not want to come back to square one. Once the judgment has been delivered, it has to be implemented," the bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said.

The Centre was seeking time as the Union Cabinet has not met due to the ongoing campaigning for the assembly polls in Karnataka, Attorney General K K Venugopal said.

Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Tamil Nadu, opposed the plea and said "this is the fit case for contempt. Somebody has to be sent to jail".

The Supreme Court had earlier asked the Centre to formulate a scheme to ensure compliance of its judgment on the decades-old Cauvery dispute. It had modified the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award of 2007 and made it clear that it will not be extending the time for this on any ground.

The court had on February 16 raised the 270 tmcft share of Cauvery water for Karnataka by 14.75 tmcft and reduced Tamil Nadu's share, while compensating it by allowing extraction of 10 tmcft groundwater from the river basin, saying the issue of drinking water has to be placed on a "higher pedestal".

The date for further hearing of the case has been scheduled for May 14.

(With PTI inputs)