State of Karnataka by its Chief Secretary vs State of Tamil Nadu by its Chief Secretary & Ors

Bench: 3 — Dipak Misra, Rohinton Fali Nariman, A. M. Khanwilkar

In Brief

This landmark judgment concerns the allocation of Cauvery river waters among Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. The Supreme Court upheld the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal's final award (2007) allocating 284.75 TMC to Karnataka, 404.25 TMC to Tamil Nadu, 30 TMC to Kerala, and 7 TMC to Puducherry from a total yield of 740 TMC. The Court refined the allocation by increasing Karnataka's share by 14.75 TMC (accounting for 10 TMC ground water in Tamil Nadu and 4.75 TMC for Bengaluru's drinking water needs). The judgment affirmed the principle of equitable apportionment over prescriptive rights and rejected the agreements of 1892 and 1924 as absolute, applying Helsinki Rules and national water policies.

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Water Law Inter-State Disputes Constitutional Law Equitable Apportionment River Water Rights International Water Law Principles

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