SC holds Punjab law terminating SYL agreement unconstitutional
AMN /
In a major blow to Punjab, the Supreme Court Thursday virtually struck down the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004, by which the state had terminated its pacts with Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh for sharing the waters of Ravi and Beas rivers.
The Supreme Court held as unconstitutional the 2004 law passed by Punjab to terminate the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal water sharing agreement with Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh.
The judgement made it clear that the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, 2004 is “unconstitutional” and Punjab could not have taken a “unilateral” decision to terminate the water sharing agreement with neighbouring states.
The judgement came on the presidential reference of 2004 on the controversy relating to sharing of water from SYL canal. A five-judge bench headed by Justice A R Dave was unanimous in holding that all the five questions of Presidential reference have to be answered in the negative.
Today’s judgement implies that the 2004 Act was not in consonance with the apex court judgement of 2003 which had mandated the construction of the SYL canal that has been stalled.
Amarinder, Congress MLAs resign over SC’s SYL verdict
After the Supreme Court announced its verdict on the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal water sharing agreement, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh on Thursday resigned from his Lok Sabha seat while his party MLAs resigned en-masse from the state assembly, “in protest against the injustice meted out to the people of the state”.
Amarinder, who is also former Punjab Chief Minister, has sent his resignation to the Lok Sabha Speaker, copy of which was released to the media in Chandigarh, and has also sought a personal meeting with the Speaker next week.
The party MLAs have also sent their resignations to the Speaker, Punjab Assembly, and will meet him on Friday morning to personally hand over their papers.
Punjab goes to polls early next year.
The Supreme Court held the 2004 law passed by Punjab to terminate the SYL canal water sharing agreement with neighbouring states as unconstitutional.
In his resignation letter, Captain Amarinder said he had decided to quit as member of the 16th Lok Sabha from Amritsar constituency in Punjab with immediate effect “as a mark of protest against the deprivation of the people of my state of the much-needed Sutlej river water.”
Describing the SYL judgement by the apex court as a “major blow to the people of Punjab,” Amarinder said in Chandigarh he had always fought for their legitimate right on this issue and continues to stand by them at this critical juncture in the state’s journey.
Blaming the Akalis squarely for bringing the people of Punjab to this pitiable situation, where they faced imminent devastation due to acute water scarcity, Amarinder said Badal and his team had “failed” to defend Punjab’s stand in the court, leading to such disastrous consequences for the state.