Supreme Court Directs Mullaperiyar Dam Supervisory Committee to Resolve Tamil Nadu’s Concerns
Last Updated on February 20, 2025 by Athi Venkatesh
Supreme Court Directs Mullaperiyar Dam Supervisory Committee to Resolve Tamil Nadu’s Concerns
The Supreme Court recently directed the Supervisory Committee on the Mullaperiyar Dam to address the interim issues raised by Tamil Nadu. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh passed the order. The Court also placed all pending Mullaperiyar-related cases before Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna for consolidation.
The Court ordered the new Supervisory Committee, chaired by an official appointed on January 3, 2025, to hold a meeting with concerned officers from both states within a week. The Committee must take necessary actions within two weeks and submit a report to the Court if disputes remain unresolved.
Tamil Nadu’s senior counsel, Shekhar Naphade, accused Kerala of obstructing the execution of the 2014 judgment. He claimed Kerala has consistently opposed Tamil Nadu’s efforts for 25 years and aims to dismantle the dam. Tamil Nadu seeks permissions for tree cutting, transporting materials, repairing roads, and operating additional boats.
Kerala’s senior counsel, Jaideep Gupta, argued that Tamil Nadu is avoiding dam safety reviews required under the Dam Safety Act, 2021. He also questioned the composition of the Supervisory Committee. Justice Kant responded that the Court could reconstitute the Committee if necessary but expected ongoing work to continue.
The dispute traces back to a 2006 judgment allowing Tamil Nadu to raise the dam’s water level to 142 ft. Kerala later amended its irrigation law, limiting the water level to 136 ft. Tamil Nadu challenged this in an original suit. In 2014, the Supreme Court upheld Tamil Nadu’s right to increase the water level and ordered the formation of a Supervisory Committee to oversee safety and repairs.
The Court’s latest directive aims to resolve Tamil Nadu’s grievances while maintaining cooperative federalism between the states.
