Photo for representational purpose
The Supreme Court Tuesday shot down a plea for a complete cut in water supply to distilleries and breweries in Maharashtra on account of drought, observing that a balance must be maintained in the matter.
A vacation bench of Justices P C Pant and D Y Chandrachud also pulled up the petitioner, who had sought 100 per cent cut in water supply to the state liquor industry, questioning if the plea was “just for the sake of publicity”.
“The Bombay High Court has already passed an interim order in this regard. Why are you coming against an interim order of the high court? The high court has already allowed a 60 per cent cut, now what do you want? These are all policy decisions. There has to be a balance,” it said.
The counsel, appearing for petitioner Sanjay Bhaskarrao Kale, said the entire region is severely drought-hit and there is a policy in this regard for diverting water supply.
But the bench retorted: “These are all policy decisions and the court’s interference will be like taking over governance… even the 60 per cent cut has no basis. There can be no justification. These are all policy decisions and the courts cannot interfere in all these matters.”
The court eventually asked the counsel for the petitioner to withdraw the petition and disposed of it as withdrawn.
The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court had recently asked the state government to curtail water supply to the liquor industry by 60 per cent from May 10, an order which will be operational till June 27. The plea filed in the apex court had contended that instead of a curtailed water supply, there should be no supply at all.
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