The Supreme Court said a steady stream of States are compelled to approach it against the Centre while cautioning the Union government against entering into a “contest” with water-starved Karnataka over its request for drought relief.
“Let there be no contest here between the Union and the State… We are seeing various State governments having to appear in court,” Justice B.R. Gavai, heading the Bench, addressed Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, both appearing for the Union government.
Recently, the Tamil Nadu government accused the Centre in the Supreme Court of treating the people of the State in a “step-motherly” fashion by delaying the release of disaster relief funds to the tune of nearly ₹38,000 crore to help tide over the twin calamities of cyclone Michaung and unprecedented floods in the State’s southern districts. Likewise, Kerala filed a first-of-its-kind suit directly in the apex court, blaming the Centre for arbitrarily interfering in its net borrowing limits, pushing the State to the brink of a financial emergency.
