PANAJI
The Supreme Court is set to hear the Mhadei river diversion matter on January 23. The Apex Court will hear the special leave petitions filed by the three-riparian States- Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra, along with the contempt pleas filed by the coastal State.
Sources informed that the Court has listed the matter on January 23 in Court No 1 for hearing.
The matter had come up before the Supreme Court in November, last month, after almost nine months. Without any hearing, the matter was posted for January.
All the three States have filed additional written submissions before the Court, as directed during the previous hearing held in February 2024. 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 an objection before the Court against Central Water Commission’s technical approval to the detailed project report (DPR) for Kalasa-Bhandura drinking water project.
