SC asks Centre to apprise it on setting up Cauvery Management Board

The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to apprise it on May 8 about steps taken for setting up of the Cauvery Management Board for implementation of its judgement on distribution of river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

The Centre, which was asked by the top court to frame and file a draft Cauvery management scheme by May 3, today asked it to hear the matter a day after the Karnataka polls on the ground that the draft scheme has to be put before the Union Cabinet for approval.

Attorney General K K Venugopal told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues are busy campaigning in Karnataka and hence the draft could not be placed before the Union Cabinet.

Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, appearing for Tamil Nadu, took strong exception at the submission saying, "This is the end of co-operative federalism and the rule of law in the country. This is the partisan attitude of the union of India to favour Karnataka."