As per reports, the State government incurred an expenditure of Rs 3.2 crores over the past five years on legal fees related to the Mhadei water dispute and the declaration of the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve. These expenses include the fees of legal counsels, senior lawyers, and Supreme Court advocates. The high-profile legal team was hired by the government to fight its case in the High Courts and Supreme Court and secure a favourable verdict. A local lawyer was also roped in for a fee of Rs 30 lakh, in addition to the Advocate General of the state, Devidas Pangam, who received a substantial sum.
However, this money spent has yielded no results, as Karnataka is continuing with its plans to divert the Mhadei waters into the Malprabha basin. Goa has not even been able to secure a stay in the courts regarding the ongoing work by its neighbouring State.
The heavyweight advocates tasked with fighting Goa's case do not seem to be dedicating as much time and energy as required, as they primarily specialise in arguing legal disputes between mega-corporations and the Centre, where the fees run into dozens of crores, and they charge up to Rs 50 lakh per hearing for a personal appearance.
There is also no clarity regarding whether the Mhadei Sanctuary will be notified as a tiger sanctuary as ordered by the apex court, leaving the State government in a difficult position. Perhaps the State should have hired lawyers specialising in interstate disputes; we seem to be fighting a losing battle here.
