New Delhi: Supreme Court on Thursday held a 2004 law, on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal controversy and said that the state cannot unilaterally wriggle out of an agreement involving other states.
The controversy is on sharing of waters by states, including Punjab and Haryana.Haryana had approached the apex court after Punjab refused to share water with it.
“Punjab law terminating water sharing agreement with other states stands invalid,” the apex court ruled.
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said on November 1, that Punjab will not accept any verdict against the state’s interest on river waters.
“We are ready to make any sacrifice to safeguard the legitimate share of river waters,” Parkash had said.
A five-judge constitution Bench headed by Justice A. R. Dave, who is demitting office on November 18, reserved the verdict on May 12 after the Centre maintained its earlier stand of 2004, that the States concerned should settle their disputes on the matter by themselves.
The Centre had said “it was not taking sides and was maintaining a neutral stand in the matter in which the court has recorded the stand of other States — Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir”.