Telangana Withdraws Writ Petition Filed Against Andhra's Polavaram Project; Supreme Court Allows Filing Of Suit

The Supreme Court today allowed the State of Telangana to withdraw its writ petition against the Union and Andhra Pradesh Government, challenging the expansion of the Polavaram Multipurpose irrigation project.The Court allowed the State Government to raise the challenge in the form of a civil suit under Article 131 jurisdiction. The bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a plea filed by the State of Telangana under Article 32 of the Constitution against the Union's extension of financial assistance to Andhra Pradesh to expand the Polavaram Project, also known as Polavaram –Banakacherla” Link Project. Previously, the Court questioned the maintainability of the writ petition filed by the State of Telangana against the Union and the Andhra Pradesh Government.Today, Sr Advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the State of Telangana, at the outset argued that the project expansion would lead to diversion of flood waters beyond the Award of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal.However, Justice Bagchi pointed out that in the writ petition, other states like Karnataka and Maharashtra were not made parties, but in the Award in question, they were also relevant stakeholders. " Dr Singhvi, the parties to the award are not only Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, but they are also Maharashtra and Karnataka, who have put in objections with regard to the purported violation of the awards. Now in your writ petition, they are not parties, in a suit it would be a more wholesome-" Singhvi then requested the bench to allow him to withdraw the present petition and file a suit under Article 131."I withdraw, and file the suit which is almost ready....I cannot be remediless everywhere"The bench, agreeing to the same, passed the following order : "Writ petition is disposed of as being prima facie not maintainable, with liberty to the state petitioner to avail appropriate remedy and raise all the issues that have been taken up in the instant writ petition." The writ petition also challenged the grant of environmental clearance for the project and alleges that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) violated the Central Water Commission's recommendations.Notably, as per the award and the CWC, the approved amount of water to be diverted was 80 Thousand Million Cubic Feet (TMC) of water to the Krishna River through its canal system for use in the Krishna Delta System.However, the plea states that the expansion would propose to divert 200 TMC instead, without the requisite approvals. The petition also raises the issue of non-approval by the CWC. It explains :" Government of Andhra Pradesh has already undertaken the expansion for PBLP /PNLP and only thereafter has submitted its Pre-Feasibility Report (PFR) to CWC. Further, without waiting for In-principle consent of CWC which is a prerequisite to undertake/ prepare Detailed Project Report (DPR), as per MoJS/CWC Guidelines, for appraisal of Project, and despite instructions of CWC vide letter dated 04.12.2025 not to take up DPR without In-principle consent for the same from CWC, GOAP has already floated Tenders and is in the process of awarding the same (Technical bid opening planned on 11.12.2025 Financial bid opening on 17.12.2025 and award of work likely to be within 1 week thereafter)."Case Details: STATE OF TELANGANA Versus UNION OF INDIA AND ORS W.P.(C) No. 1258/2025

Telangana Withdraws Writ Petition Filed Against Andhra's Polavaram Project; Supreme Court Allows Filing Of Suit

Anmol Kaur Bawa

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