Tamil Nadu escalates legal challenge to Karnataka's Mekedatu dam

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay convened a meeting of water‑resource experts, legal advisers and senior officials to intensify the state’s legal response to Karnataka’s proposed Mekedatu dam on the Cauvery River. The chief minister directed officials to expedite all available legal steps, reiterating Tamil Nadu’s position that the project violates a Supreme Court judgment and threatens the welfare of farmers in the state.

The Tamil Nadu government has already filed multiple petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the dam, and a review petition lodged in December 2025 was recently dismissed. The court has indicated that the Central Water Commission will decide whether the project complies with earlier judicial directions on water sharing.

Karnataka, meanwhile, says its Detailed Project Report is ready and will be submitted to the centre, after which a ground‑breaking ceremony is planned pending central approval. The dispute forms part of the long‑running inter‑state conflict over Cauvery water allocations between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.