New Delhi/Bengaluru: The Supreme Court new bench which will look into the petition challenging the formation of Cauvery water tribunal in 2007 will not have Justice Uday U Lalit in it.
The new bench will have Justice Amitava Roy, Justice Ajay M.Kanwilkar and Justice Deepak Mishra who collectively will take a call when the petition comes for hearing on october 18 .
The change is done by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by moving Justice Lalit to a different bench. The new bench formed without Justice Lalit is already generating some queries in both judicial and political circles.
Justice Uday U Lalit was part of the two-judge bench which probed into the interim petition filed by Tamilnadu. Subsequently the two judge bench including Justice Deepak Mishra issued 7 consecutive orders in September which led to lot of unrest in Karnataka giving rise to protests, violence, damage to public property and special legislature sessions.
Incidentally, Justice Uday U Lalit was the private attorney for Tamilnadu CM J. Jayalaitha and this factor too might have played a role in moving Justice Lalit to a different bench.
CM Siddu Reacts
Taking part in the foundation laying ceremony for development works of BDA in Chowdeshwarinagar in Kottigepalya of Bengaluru CM ruled out releasing more water to Tamilnadu irrespective of future court verdicts. He made it clear only rains can help the state at this juncture as the state is retaining 24 TMC water to meet the drinking water needs of people depending on Cauvery.
Drinking water is the fundamental requirement of every citizen and the government of the day cannot deprive them of this basic need, he stated.
The water stored in state dams required to cater the needs of people in Bengaluru, Hassan , Tumakuru , Mysore and Mandya and state will be in a position to release water only if water levels in reservoirs increase, he confirmed.
