A day after the SC’s six-week deadline to put in place a mechanism to resolve Cauvery dispute ended, Tamil Nadu government on Saturday filed contempt proceedings against Union cabinet secretary PK Sinha and water resources secretary U P Singh for “wilful disobedience” in carrying out court orders.
The state sought directions to the respondents to purge the contempt forthwith by framing a scheme in accordance with the judgment for providing for Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee vested with all powers to give effect to the decision of the tribunal as well as the judgment of the court.
“The petitioner is constrained to approach this court seeking justice. The petitioner State as parens patriae for the suffering farmers and its inhabitants has been pursuing the lawful and constitutional remedies and is seeking implementation of the court seeking to remedy the injury and suffering being caused by the inaction of the respondent,” the TN government said.
The government recalled the February 16 court order directing the Centre to frame a scheme within a span of six weeks from the date of the judgment so that the authorities, Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee, under the scheme can see to it that the present decision which modified the award passed by the tribunal is smoothly made functional and the rights of the states as determined by it are protected. The court also held that no extension of time shall be granted on any ground. The period of six weeks expired on March 30.
However, till date the Centre has not complied with the judgment of the court and failed to constitute the scheme providing for the authorities for the implementation of the tribunal’s decision as modified by the court. “In the absence of any cogent reasons for not constituting Cauvery Management Board and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee within the time frame and/or not making any substantial steps in that directions amounts to willful disobedience of the judgment of this court,” the petition said.
