SC says no to plea for 100 pc water cut to Maha liquor firms

The Supreme Court today declined to direct the Maharashtra government to completely cut the water supply to the distilleries and breweries in the state and divert drinking water to drought-hit regions.
A vacation bench of Justices P C Pant and D Y Chandrachud also pulled up the petitioner, who had sought 100 per cent cut in the water supply to the state liquor industry, for having approached the apex court "just for the sake of publicity".
"The Bombay High Court has already passed an interim order in this regard. Why are you coming against an interim order of the high court? The high court has already allowed a 60 per cent cut, now what do you want? These are all policy decisions. There has to be a balance," the bench said.

The counsel, appearing for petitioner Sanjay Bhaskarrao Kale, said the entire region is severely drought-hit and there is a policy in this regard for diverting water supply.
To this, the bench said, "These are all policy decisions and the court's interference will be like taking over governance."
It said, "Even the 60 per cent cut has no basis. There can be no justification. These are all policy decisions and the courts cannot interfere in all these matters."

The apex court finally asked the counsel for the petitioner to withdraw the plea and termed it as dismissed as withdrawn.
The court, however, granted Kale the liberty to approach the high court.

The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court had recently asked the state government to curtail water supply to the liquor industry by 60 per cent from May 10, an order which will be operational till June 27.
The plea filed in the apex court had sought that instead of a curtailed water supply, there should be no supply at all as the entire region is facing acute water shortage.
It had said that people were dying in the region due to the shortage of water and there is a limited water stock available.
People were being deprived of drinking water as it is being given to the liquor industry, it had said.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court had also asked the Maharashtra government to cut water supply to other industrial units in Marathwada by 25 per cent after May 10.