SC Disposes of Telangana Govt’s Hurriedly Filed Petition Against Polavaram Following KCR’s Outburst

The Supreme Court on Monday disposed of the Telangana government’s writ petition challenging Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram–Nallamala Sagar (Banakacherla) project a petition that was filed on January 5, barely two weeks after former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao’s sharp December 21 press conference , which put the Congress-led government on the defensive over river water issues.

The writ petition, moved under Article 32 of the Constitution, came up for hearing on January 5, when the court questioned its maintainability , observing that the dispute clearly involved an inter-State river water issue . On Monday, the court formally disposed of the petition, while granting Telangana the liberty to file a fresh civil suit under Article 131 , which deals with disputes between States and between States and the Centre.

The bench pointed out that the writ petition was not maintainable , particularly since other basin States such as Maharashtra and Karnataka were not impleaded as parties. It also noted that the Centre was directly involved in the Polavaram project and that a statutory mechanism, including a committee, was already examining related issues.

The Telangana government’s decision to move the apex court on January 5 followed intense political pressure triggered by KCR’s December 21 outburst , which had focused on Krishna river waters but spilled over into broader concerns about Godavari diversions. Within two weeks of that press meet, the State approached the Supreme Court, seeking urgent intervention to halt what it described as an unauthorised and irreversible diversion of Godavari waters by Andhra Pradesh.

During the hearing, Telangana was represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi , who argued that Andhra Pradesh was moving towards diverting far in excess of the approved 80 TMC of water , even as Telangana’s own barrages and lift irrigation projects remained under construction. He cautioned that once canals are built, the loss of flood flows to Telangana would be permanent and irreversible .

The court, however, remained cautious, reiterating that such disputes must be pursued through the appropriate constitutional route under Article 131 , rather than through a writ petition invoking fundamental rights.

With the disposal of the January 5 petition, the Telangana government has now indicated that it will pursue the matter through a fresh inter-State suit , even as the political and legal battle over Polavaram and linked projects continues.