SC notice to Karnataka CM

By T. Padmanabha Rao

NEW DELHI, JAN. 25. The Supreme Court today issued a showcause `contempt' notice to the Karnataka Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, for certain statements attributed to him on ``the river Krishna water dispute - Alamatti dam matter'' in a news report published on January 24 in an English daily.

The Bench directed Mr. Krishna to be present in the court on February 8.

The Bench said that if the news report was true, it fell foul of the court's ``restraint order'' on January 19 (in connection with the hearing of the `Krishna water dispute cases') and it prima facie amounted to contempt of this court.

The Bench, on January 19, directed that none of the concerned parties - Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Union of India - shall go to the Press or take recourse to any other media on the merits of their respective cases during the pendency of the proceedings before the apex court.

Later, when Mr. F. S. Nariman, counsel, pleaded that the court's order be suspended for the time being as it appeared that Mr. Krishna replied to a question on a related issue in a ``meet the Press programme'', the Bench said it had issued only a showcause notice to him (to appear and explain his stand).

The Bench today began hearing the resumed arguments from Mr. F. S. Nariman, senior counsel for Karnataka, on its original suit which inter alia requested the court to direct the Centre to notify `Scheme B' - surplus water - framed by the Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal and make provision for establishment of the Krishna Valley Authority and for implementation of the Tribunal's directions in its 1973 report and 1976 Report, as contemplated under Section 6(A) of the Inter-State Water Disputes Act.

Karnataka's suit urged the court to restrain Andhra Pradesh from executing certain specified projects such as the Telugu Ganga till Scheme B framed by the Tribunal was duly and effectively put into operation.

UNI reports from Bangalore:

Mr. Krishna said he would go by the advise of Mr. F. S. Nariman, counsel, with regard to the showcause notice issued by the Supreme Court.

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