With the Supreme Court upholding the maintainability of appeals filed by states including Tamil Nadu against a 2007 tribunal verdict on Cauvery water sharing, the state government today said it was "grand victory for the untiring efforts" of former chief minister Jayalalithaa.
PWD Principal Secretray SK Prabakar said the water dispute had been going on for a long time between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and recalled that the two states besides Kerala had earlier moved the apex court against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal on sharing the river water.
He recalled the efforts by Jayalalithaa on the Cauvery issue, including "waging a legal battle" to get the 2007 final award published in a Central gazette in 2013, thus "upholding Tamil Nadu's rights".
Her government had moved the apex court again in August, seeking direction to Karnataka to release Tamil Nadu's share of water, following which it gave regular directions to the upper riparian state on this matter, he said.
Today, a three-judge bench had held all appeals maintainable, while holding that its interim order on releasing 2000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu continues till further orders, he said in a statement.
"This is a grand victory to the untiring efforts of Puratchi Thalaivi Amma (Jayalalitha)," he added.
The three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra had said all appeals filed by the south Indian states against the tribunal's award were maintainable, though the Centre had asserted that the apex court had no jurisdiction to hear appeals against the award of the tribunal.
"We hold all the appeals maintainable. Interim order to continue. List the matter for further hearing on December 15," the three-judge bench had said.
On October 18, the apex court had directed Karnataka to keep supplying Tamil Nadu with 2,000 cusecs of water till further orders.
DMK welcomed the apex court holding that its interim order on releasing 2000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu will continue and expressed happiness over Supreme Court saying that the appeals against the 2007 verdict were maintainable.
Party Treasurer and Tamil Nadu Opposition Leader M K Stalin urged the state government to press the Centre on immediately constituting the Cauvery Management Board.
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