PANAJI
In yet another setback for Goa, the Mhadei river diversion case is unlikely to be heard by the Supreme Court on February 6. Adding to the uncertainty, the crucial matter was not even listed in the supplementary cause list till Monday.
Government sources revealed that officials were optimistic about the case being listed after it was left out of the Apex Court's main list on Saturday, February 1. However, with no mention in Monday’s supplementary list either, authorities are now pinning their hopes on Tuesday’s cause list.
The legal battle between Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra over the diversion of the Mhadei river, was originally scheduled for a hearing on January 23. However, the Supreme Court deferred it to January 30. Even then, the matter -- listed as Item No 112 -- was left unheard as proceedings concluded at Case No 104 due to prolonged hearings in prior cases.
The Apex Court is hearing special leave petitions from the three riparian states and contempt pleas filed by Goa against Karnataka. This prolonged legal battle saw its last major hearing in July 2023, before being pushed to November 2023, only to be deferred again without proceedings.
Since November 2023, around 14 advocates from Goa have been reportedly travelling weekly for the Mhadei case; and several advocates from Mumbai and Delhi have been added, bringing the total to nearly 20 advocates.
The Goan last year reported that while the local team of lawyers are operating on a modest budget for their Delhi trips, each hearing costs the State exchequer a whopping Rs 83,000 to Rs 1 lakh per day only for the two high-priced Mumbai-based counsels. This excludes their expenses for food and transportation.
