In Brief
Tamil Nadu sued Karnataka in the Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution, challenging the construction of dams and water diversion projects across the inter-state Pennaiyar River and its tributary Markandeyanadhi. Tamil Nadu alleged these works violated the 1892 and 1933 Agreements between the states and would harm downstream irrigation and drinking water needs. The Court dismissed the interim relief application, holding that formal inter-state water disputes must be referred to a statutory Tribunal constituted under the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, and that the plaintiff had not made the required formal request. The Court directed Tamil Nadu to invoke the statutory procedure within four weeks, noting the projects had received proper approvals and construction was substantially complete.
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