Punjab 14 May 2025 : The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday sought response from the Centre, the Haryana government and the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on a plea of the Punjab government, seeking recall of a May 6 order that directed the state to allow the release of additional 4,500 cusecs of water to neighbouring Haryana from the Bhakra dam.
After the hearing on Wednesday, former advocate general and senior advocate Gurminder Singh, who appeared for Punjab, said, “The court has issued notice for May 20.”
The plea, filed on Monday, contended that the May 6 order is “illegal as the court was misled into believing” that the meeting held under the chairmanship of the Union home secretary on May 2 was conducted under Rule 7 of the 1974 rules, which requires a reference made by the (BBMB) chairman on the water-sharing issue.
“The direction in question was passed on account of concealment of material facts by non-applicant parties in the writ petition who have failed to bring true and correct facts to the notice of the court,” it claimed.
On May 6, the high court directed Punjab not to interfere with the functioning of BBMB and abide by the Union home secretary’s May 2 decision which asked the board to release additional 4,500 cusecs of water to Haryana.
The Punjab government has now contended that the Union power secretary is the competent authority to deal with disputes around water sharing under the BBMB Act, and not the Union home secretary. The formal minutes of the May 2 meeting were not recorded, and only a press note was produced which, it said, formed the basis of the “misleading information” that led to the court order of May 6.
Summary: The High Court has issued a notice on Punjab’s plea to recall the May 6 order directing extra water release from Bhakra Dam to Haryana.