SC to hear Cauvery case on August 13

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on August 13 a plea of the Tamil Nadu Government seeking directions to the Karnataka Government for immediate release of the share of Cauvery water to it.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana took note of submissions made by the counsel representing the State Government that in a rain-deficient year Tamil Nadu was not getting its due share of Cauvery water.

“We will list it for hearing on Thursday,” the CJI said.

The Joseph Vijay-led State Government on August three approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Karnataka Government for immediate release of the share of Cauvery water. The State Government, in its plea, claimed that the quantum allocated to it by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) as well as that released by its neighbour Karnataka was far less.

A CWRC meeting held on July 28 directed Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs for 15 days starting July 29, an order which was upheld by the CWMA later. However, the quantum of water released at Biligundlu ranged between 158 and 550 cusecs from July 29 to August 2, the State Government said.

A press release issued by the Tamil Nadu Government said that as of August 3, the combined total storage in the reservoirs in Karnataka — KRS, Kabini, Harangi and Hemavathy — stood at 77.537 TMC and Karnataka would face no difficulty in releasing Tamil Nadu’s due share proportionately.

Following rains in the catchment areas in the KRS and Kabini dams in Karnataka recently, the proportionate water to be realised at Biligundlu should be 26.954 TMC, it said. “Accordingly, the Cauvery Water Management Authority order allocating 4.536 TMC is very less,” the release added. Karnataka has “failed” to share with Tamil Nadu its due share of water and the quantum was 26.954 TMC, the press release said.

Earlier, the DMK, the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, had also moved the top court seeking directions to the Karnataka Government for the immediate release of the due share of Cauvery water to the state.

The party has submitted that Karnataka must strictly follow the apex court’s final 2018 verdict and comply with the directions issued by the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA).

“Direct the State of Karnataka / Respondent No. 1 to forthwith and fully implement the direction of the CWRC dated July 28, 2026, as affirmed by the CWMA on July 30, 2026, by ensuring a flow of 3,500 cusecs per day at Biligundlu for the period of 15 days commencing from date of the order passed by this Hon’ble Court, and to make good the shortfall in compliance from July 29, 2026 onwards,” the DMK said in its plea.

It also sought a direction to Karnataka to “make good the accumulated backlog of about 9.46 TMC due at Biligundlu as on July 26, 2026, computed on the pro-rata/ distress-sharing basis, by ensuring releases such that about 7,000 cusecs per day is realised at Biligundlu over a period of 15 days”, it had said.

The plea has sought directions to the CWMA to monitor the water release from the reservoirs of Karnataka and the flows realised at Biligundlu on a day-to-day basis and to report compliance.

The CWMA has earlier upheld the CWRC’s recommendation of releasing 3,500 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu for the next 15 days.

In 2018, the Centre constituted the CWMA to address the dispute over sharing of river water among Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

Besides the members of the riparian states, the board also has a nominee of the Centre.