SYL Canal row: SC asks states to file replies by Feb. 15

New Delhi [India], Jan. 18 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked both the Haryana and Punjab government to file their replies on the Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal row within three weeks. The next hearing will be held on February 15. The Punjab Government had earlier sought more time from the apex court to file a detailed reply on the same. A bench of the court headed by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Amitava Roy granted the decision. The apex court had in November last year, termed the law passed by the Punjab government in 2004 to terminate the SYL canal water sharing agreement with neighbouring states as "unconstitutional". Holding that the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004 was not being in conformity with the provisions of the Constitution, the top court answered in the negative to all the four questions referred to it in a presidential reference. A constitution bench of the court ruled that Punjab could not and should not have taken a "unilateral" decision to terminate the agreement with Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh to share of the Ravi-Beas river waters. The apex court ruling was also followed by resignations of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh and state Congress MLAs. (ANI)