Centre to explain steps taken for convening meet in Supreme Court today
Even as the Supreme Court is to hear the Centre on Friday on fixing the date for the meeting of the Cauvery River Authority, the Tamil Nadu Government on Thursday made a fresh plea that Karnataka be directed to release 2 tmcft of water every day till the CRA meets. A Bench of Justices D.K. Jain and Madan B. Lokur will take up the case on Friday. Additional Solicitor General Harin Raval is expected to explain the steps taken by the PMO for convening the CRA.
The Union government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it would soon come out with a gazette notification allowing the film industry to incorporate smoking scenes with statutory warnings alongside.
The new rules advise filmmakers to give a 20-second antismoking message as approved by the Health Ministry — with a voice-over of one of the actors seen smoking — to be displayed at the beginning and after intermission. Additionally, a static message would have to be displayed for the duration of the smoking scene.
The Supreme Court on Monday directed resumption of mining operations by 18 mining companies in Karnataka on the basis of the recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee. A three-judge Bench of Justices Aftab Alam, K.S. Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar passed this order on the basis of the CEC’s report that these mines in category A had not indulged in violations and that mining operations could be permitted, subject to their fulfilling certain conditions.
The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the Centre for not showing any interest in the Cauvery issue and wondered whether the Prime Minister’s Office was aware of its orders.
The Karnataka government on Monday maintained its earlier position that it had time till December to ensure adequate release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu at the inter State-border, Biligundlu.
In its rejoinder to Tamil Nadu’s reply in the Supreme Court, Karnataka, however, made it clear that it did not have any reservations on convening of the Cauvery River Authority by the Prime Minister, but wanted the meeting to be held at the end of September.
‘Summer crop in Karnataka wholly unauthorised and not approved by Tribunal’
Tamil Nadu on Friday described as reprehensible and inhuman Karnataka’s stand that it will enjoy all water in the Cauvery basin during distress and use all surplus water even for summer irrigation in a surplus year, to the detriment and agony of the lower riparian State. In a rejoinder to Karnataka’s reply in the Supreme Court, Tamil Nadu said: “The surplus waters in a good year have to be stored for utilisation to take care of a distress year. The summer crop in Karnataka is completely unauthorised and not approved by the Tribunal.”
Following resistance to the ban on tourism in core areas of tiger reserves by several States, NGOs and interested parties, the Supreme Court on Wednesday permitted the Centre to review existing norms and come up with comprehensive guidelines on ‘Tiger Project’ and ‘sustainable tourism.’
A Bench of Justices A.K. Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar gave this permission after Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati drew the court’s attention to the objections received and the Centre’s intention to revisit the guidelines framed under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
The Union government on Monday told the Supreme Court that the Cabinet had cleared the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Bill, 2012.
On August 24, the court pulled up the government for its callousness in not enacting a law to ban manual scavenging despite repeated assurances that it would come out with law to eliminate this heinous practice.
Interim ban on tourism activities in reserves will continue
Even as it extended its interim order banning tourist activities in the core areas of tiger reserves, the Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Centre for inaction on protecting the tiger population. A Bench of Justices A.K. Patnaik and Swatanter Kumar extended the ban when Wasim A. Qadri, counsel for the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, drew the court’s attention to its fresh affidavit filed on Tuesday for review of the July 24 ban order.
‘States feel ban will affect local people dependent on tourism for livelihood’
Under pressure from various States, the Central government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking permission to review the guidelines issued under the Wildlife (Protection) Act for the States to ban all tourism activities in core areas of tiger reserve forests. On July 24, a Bench of Justices Swatatner Kumar and Ibrahim Kalifulla imposed the ban, when told that most of the States had not complied with the directions contained in the guidelines.
