Karnataka dubs SC order 'defective', to file review petition on Oct. 3

Terming the Supreme Court's order to Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs of the Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu from Saturday till October 6 a "defective order", Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said his government would file a review petition in the apex court on Monday.

"It is a defective order, so we have decided to file a review petition on Monday," said Siddaramaiah at a press conference, following an all-party representatives' meeting in the Conference Hall of the Vidhana Soudha here.

"The assembly has passed a resolution, so it is binding on us, and thus, we have taken the decision not to release the water. We have not defied the orders of the Supreme Court, as there is no wilful disobedience or deliberate disobedience," said the Chief Minister.

"As far as the releasing of the water is concerned, we will go back to the assembly. We have called a special session of the Karnataka legislature on Monday," said Siddaramaiah.

In the meantime, opposition parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Janata Dal (Secular), have expressed their solidarity with the Siddaramaiah government, and asked the Chief Minister to abide by the resolution adopted in the state assembly.

The Karnataka assembly had on September 23 unanimously passed a resolution stating that "it is imperative for the State government to ensure that no water is drawn from the four reservoirs in the Cauvery basin except for drinking water requirements of villages and towns in the Cauvery basin and for the entire city of Bengaluru."

"The BJP is with the government and whatever decision the government takes, we will stand by them. We have suggested to the Chief Minister not release the water, and he should abide by whatever the decision has been taken in the assembly," BJP leader Shobha Karandlaaje said.

"We have given the suggestion not to release the water and not to send any representative for the appointment to the Water Management Board member," said JD(S) state president D. Kumaraswamy.

The apex court on Friday asked Karnataka to discharge 6,000 cusecs water from Saturday till October 6, while warning that "no one would know when the 'wrath of the law' would fall on it".

It ordered all the stakeholders - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Pudduchery - to give names by 4 pm on Saturday of their representatives to be included in the board, which would be chaired by the Union Water Resources Minister.

The court noted that despite being a state, Karnataka is flouting the order and creating a situation when the majesty of law is dented, adding that the court would have proceeded to take steps for strict compliance of the order, but it had directed the Cauvery Water Management Board to first study the ground realities and submit a report.