SC refuses to entertain contempt plea of TN against Karnataka

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a contempt petition filed by Tamil Nadu against Karnataka in the Cauvery water dispute case after noting that the latter has complied with its direction to release 2.44 TMC feet of water to the aggrieved state. The bench, headed by Justice R M Lodha, posted the final hearing on the dispute between the warring states for August 6. The bench had on February 7 directed Karnataka to immediately release 2.44 TMC feet of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu. The court passed the order after going through the report submitted by an expert committee of Central Water Commission which said that only 10 percent of cultivated land in Tamil Nadu needs water. The Cauvery river originates in Karnataka and meanders its way through over 800 km in Tamil Nadu. The topography of the region means that Karnataka can control how much water is released downstream to Tamil Nadu. PTI