New Delhi: The state will have a crucial year ahead in the Supreme Court as the apex court would take up vital state specific issues like Polavaram dam project, Jagannath temple case and Vansdhara water dispute during the year.
The cases of river water disputes like Mahanadi and Vansdhara have been pending with Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal and Supreme Court respectively for years now. In 2020, the water dispute cases are likely to conclude. A case related to Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh has been pending with Mahanadi Water Dispute Tribunal. The state of Odisha has challenged Chhattisgarh’s claim on the Mahanadi water and demanded that specific flow of Mahanadi river water to the state shall be be maintained by Chhattisgarh. It also challenged Chhattisgarh’s decision to construct barrages over Mahanadi river. However, Chhattisgarh has pleaded in the tribunal that there should be equal share of the river water among the states.
Vansdhara water dispute: Odisha has filed two petitions in the Supreme Court challenging the order of Vansdhara Water Dispute Tribunal and also opposed the joint survey of the Neradi barrage as directed by the tribunal. Odisha has challenged Andhra Pradesh’s actions of constructing barrages on the Vansdhara river. The apex court would hear the matter in January and likely to pass an order in 2020.
Polavaram case: One of the most crucial issues of the state pending with Supreme Court, the controversial Polavaram project, did not see any development in 2019. According to sources, the apex court is likely to take up this case in the month of January. Significantly, after hearing the issue in the initial months of 2019, the top court did not take up the matter for hearing in the rest of the year.
The state of Odisha has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a ban on the Polavaram Dam project in Andhra Pradesh citing that several areas in the state would be submerged and many people, especially tribals, will be affected by the project.
Jagannath Temple Case: The Supreme Court had, in November 2019, passed an interim order in the Shri Jagannath Temple case. The apex court mainly focussed on the reforms in the ancient shrine and directed the state government to appoint a permanent administrator to the Shri Jagannath Temple Management Committee. It had also directed the state government and temple administration to chalk out a strategy for hassle-free darshan by the devotees in the temple. The Supreme Court will hear the matter January 8 regarding the implementation of the recommendations for smooth affairs in the temple.
Odisha lawyers’ agitation: The Supreme Court will also take up a matter related to strike of lawyers in the state for establishment of a High Court bench in western Odisha. The top court had asked the lawyers to resume work and had also observed that pleas for establishment of separate bench shall not be considered unless the lawyers resume work. Along with this, the apex court will also hear the issues related to vacancies of judges in the High
Courts across the country. The Supreme Court will hear these issues, January 10.
Appointment of Information Commissioners: The Supreme Court had directed the state in December last year to fill up the vacancies of Information Commissioners in the state within three months.
