New Delhi: A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Abhay Oka, and Vikram Nath on Tuesday ordered the Union Government to hold meetings between the States of Punjab and Haryana with regards to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link Canal dispute. The original suit in the case was filed by Haryana against Punjab in 1996. The matter was heard in the top court after more than 2 years. The bench led by Justice Arun Mishra had heard it last who is now retired.
Attorney General of India, KK Venugopal, informed the court that the central government had written letters in the past to the CM of Punjab but had not gotten any responses. Since 2016, Punjab's CMs have never come for meetings, the counsel alleged. He further argued that the Ministry of Jal Shakti is trying to bring together the State of Punjab and the State of Haryana, while the Attorney General highlighted that the State of Punjab is not being cooperative.
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Responding to the arguments, Justice Kaul remarked that water is a natural resource and only individual interests cannot be kept in mind while considering this issue. The bench, remarking that the matter is sensitive and cannot be left like this, the court directed the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to hold meetings between the parties. 4 months' time has been granted to file a report on the meeting and the matter is to be taken up next on January 19, 2023.
