Supreme Court directs Karnataka to comply with Cauvery water release orders

The Supreme Court of India has directed the Karnataka government to ensure strict compliance with the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) orders regarding the release of water to Tamil Nadu. During hearings on Monday, a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta addressed Tamil Nadu's plea alleging that Karnataka had failed to provide its allocated share of water despite a rain-deficient year.

Tamil Nadu argued that it has received only 14 TMC of water against an entitlement of 64 TMC, creating a significant backlog. In response, Karnataka officials stated that the state is facing severe water distress in the Cauvery basin but maintained that they have met and even exceeded previous release requirements, noting that water flows had exceeded 12,000 cusecs on Monday morning.

The Court observed that Karnataka is not refusing to supply water altogether and has adjourned the matter to August 24 to allow for an updated status report on water releases.

In a separate matter, the Supreme Court agreed to consider forming a fresh bench to hear a review plea regarding a dispute over the ownership of a Hare Krishna temple in Bengaluru. The plea seeks to review a 2025 verdict that awarded control of the temple and educational complex to ISKCON Bangalore over ISKCON Mumbai.