PANAJI
The Supreme Court will now hear the Mhadei river diversion matter in January, 2025. The Apex Court will hear the special leave petitions filed by the three-riparian States- Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, along with the contempt pleas in the third week of January, next year.
When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday morning, after almost nine months, the Court refrained from hearing while adjourning it to January.
Sources informed that all the three States have filed additional written submissions before the Court, as directed during the previous hearing held in February. Before that, the matter was heard in July, 2023.
The Court had also directed the three States to nominate a nodal counsel for the bookmarking of the convenience compilations and that during the course of arguments; only the convenience compilations will be referred.
Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra have filed Special Leave Petitions in the Court challenging the Mhadei Distribute Tribunal Award, dated August 2018.
Also, the Goa Government has filed contempt plea against Karnataka for undertaking construction works at Kankumbi for diversion of Mhadei river water to Malaprabha basin. The State has also raised objection before the Court against Central Water Commission’s technical approval to the detailed project report (DPR) for Kalasa-Bhandura drinking water project.
