Chief Justice of India Surya Kant has pushed the hearing of Andhra Pradesh’s petition against the central government’s 2023 notification on Krishna River water sharing to the first week of September 2026. The court isn’t budging on Karnataka’s request either—their plea for interim relief, which would have lifted the hold on publishing the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II (KWDT-II) award, didn’t go through. For now, the stay on implementing the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal’s verdict stands.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana made it clear they’re against Karnataka’s request for interim relief and a faster notification process. Andhra Pradesh argued that issuing the award now—or making any changes to water sharing rules—would sidestep and even contradict what the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 lays out. They pointed out that water allocations for states upstream, including Karnataka and Maharashtra, were already settled after the state split. Changing things now would go against that framework.
Key Details of the SC Hearing
In the courtroom, CJI Surya Kant—joined by Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana—made it clear he wants to see this case decided before stepping down. Calling the dispute “decade-old,” he promised a thorough hearing by a special bench, which will take it up in September.
Positions of the Conflicting States
Looking at the states’ positions, Andhra Pradesh’s lawyers say the Centre’s 2023 notification ignores the core parts of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. They argue water allocations for Karnataka and Maharashtra are already settled. Any new implementation is just not legal.
Telangana stands with Andhra Pradesh against what they see as premature action from Karnataka. At the same time, Telangana is running its own case before the tribunal, staking a claim to nearly 70% of the water once earmarked for united Andhra Pradesh.
On the other side, Karnataka wants immediate greenlight to implement and publicize the tribunal award. Government lawyers stressed that, as of June 2026, Rs 23,289.57 crores spent on canals and related infrastructure sits wasted—overrun by weeds and unused, costing the state even more.
With these fierce disagreements, nothing’s moving for now. The Supreme Court will pick up where it left off when the special multi-judge bench convenes again in September. Until then, the stalemate continues.
