The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to review a plea by the Maharashtra government seeking an expedited hearing of its 2004 lawsuit regarding the protracted territorial dispute with Karnataka, though the bench stopped short of promising a prompt listing.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana considered the state’s mention for an urgent hearing. In response to the request, the Chief Justice stated that he would look into the case details but clarified that he could not provide a commitment regarding when it would be scheduled.
Pleadings Complete, Counsel Informs Court
Appearing for the Maharashtra government, legal counsel submitted that all necessary pleadings in the original suit have been finalized, making the matter ready for formal judicial consideration.
The counsel argued that the continued inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking towns and villages within Karnataka’s borders contradicts the foundational principles governing the linguistic reorganization of Indian states.
Roots of the Territorial Conflict
The contested localities currently administered by Karnataka include the border towns of Belagavi, formerly known as Belgaum, as well as Karwar and Nipani.
The origin of the friction dates back to the enactment of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, which restructured provincial borders across the country on linguistic lines. Under the 1956 statute, Belagavi was merged into the erstwhile Mysore state—subsequently renamed Karnataka—on the basis of a Kannada-speaking plurality, while adjacent Marathi-majority tracts formed part of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra formally challenged Karnataka’s administrative control over the 865 settlements and disputed sections of the 1956 reorganization statute by instituting an original suit before the Supreme Court in 2004.
