The Supreme Court’s vacation bench, led by Justice PK Mishra, postponed the hearing until June 12 because they did not have a copy of the UYRB report. The Haryana government, also involved in the case, stated that they had submitted a document to the court.
However, the bench criticized the Delhi government for not addressing a defect identified by the registry during the petition filing process. This led to the inability to receive reports and applications related to the case.
The Upper Yamuna River Board (UYRB) informed the court that Himachal Pradesh cannot assess the release of 137 cusecs of extra drinking water to Delhi as instructed by the Supreme Court. This is due to Himachal’s lack of storage infrastructure and the absence of data confirming the surplus water released beyond the state’s requirements.
The bench, also comprising Justice PB Varale said, “The defects were pointed out last week and still they have not been removed.”
Pulling up the Delhi government represented by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Shadan Farasat appearing virtually and advocate Talha Abdul Rehman, who was physically present in court, the bench remarked, “You cannot take this court for a ride. Let the office verify if you have removed the defects. If you have not, then this petition will be dismissed.”
