A day after the Supreme Court held as “unconstitutional” the 2004 law passed by Punjab to terminate the SYl canal water sharing agreement, the State on Friday said that a three-member legal team will critically examine the ruling and advice the Government on this matter. “A legal team will study the judgement and examine it critically and then give some recommendations and advice to the State Government,” said Punjab Advocate General Ashok Aggarwal.
The team comprises the State’s Additional Advocate Generals Kamal Sehgal, Vinod Bhardwaj and Rajat Khanna.
“By tomorrow evening, we may be ready to advise the Government on this matter,” said Agarwal. Asked whether Punjab had any legal option left regarding the SYl matter, the Punjab Advocate General said that he could not say anything unless the SC ruling was examined. “May be there are (legal options), may be there is none. We do not know right now,” he said. Aggarwal said the apex court had just given its advise on the matter and the President may or may not accept it.
The water dispute assumed a new dimension with the Supreme Court, a day before, holding as “unconstitutional” the 2004 law passed by Punjab to terminate the SYl canal water sharing agreement with neighbouring States. The judgement made it clear that the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004, was unconstitutional and that the state could not have taken a “unilateral” decision to terminate the water sharing agreement with Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, J&K, Delhi and Chandigarh.