Plea to cut water supply to M'rashtra distilleries nixed

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a plea for direction to cut water supply to distilleries and breweries in Maharashtra due to drought.

A vacation bench of Justices Prafulla C Pant and D Y Chandrachud pulled up Sanjay Bhaskarrao Kale, who sought 100% cut in water supply to the state liquor industry, for having approached the apex court “just for the sake of publicity”.

The court said that these were policy decisions and interference would be like taking over the governance.

“The Bombay HC has already passed an interim order in this regard. Why are you coming against an interim order? The HC has already allowed a 60 per cent cut, now what do you want? These are all policy decisions. There has to be a balance," the bench reminded a counsel, representing the petitioner.

The counsel, on his part, contended the entire region is severely drought-hit and there is a policy in this regard for diverting water supply.

To this, the court said, "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."

Declining his plea, the court, however, allowed the counsel to withdraw his petition and approach the HC.

The Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court had recently asked Maharashtra to curtail water supply to the liquor industry by 60% from May 10 till June 27.