Cauvery row: TN files contempt plea against Karnataka CM in SC

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednsday moved the Supreme Court -- seeking launch of contempt of court proceeding against Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and others -- for allegedly defying the court's order to supply 9,000 cusecs of water from Cauvery River to the state.

In its application filed through counsel Umapathi Ganesh, Tamil Nadu contended that Karnataka has deliberately violated the apex court's September 28 directive to supply water to the state and hence has committed willful contempt of the court.

Tamil Nadu said despite the apex court's order, Karnataka has stopped the water supply, pushing the state to a further distressed situation.

On the last date of hearing, Karnataka counsel Fali S Nariman had told the court that the state will not be able to release any more water.

"It is physically impossible to release water. There is already a surplus of 13,000 cusecs," he had said without elaborating.

The apex court's September 28 order had come after the CRA meeting of September 19 had failed to produce a solution as both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had rejected the award of 9,000 cusecs of water by the panel, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to save the standing crops in the delta region.

Tamil Nadu had subsequently moved the apex court for a directive to Karnataka.

The CRA, headed by the prime minister, comprises chief ministers of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.

In an earlier application, Tamil Nadu had said during the current irrigation year 2012-2013, though the south west monsoon is not vigorous in the Cauvery catchment of Karnataka, the state of Karnataka has received 21.9 Thousand Million Cubic feet of inflow in its four major reservoirs up to July 20.

"But it has not shared the water with Tamil Nadu. Instead it started building up the storages in its four major reservoirs and letting water in the canals of Krishna Raja Sagar for irrigation, with the result that the state of Tamil Nadu has been deprived of its due share of water as per the interim order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal," the application had said.