The Punjab government has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking a review or modification of its May 6 order that directed the state to comply with Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan’s decision to release an additional 4,500 cusecs of water from the Bhakra dam to Haryana.
In its plea, the Punjab government contended that the Union home secretary was not the competent authority to decide on the release of water, arguing that the matter falls under the purview of the Ministry of Power as per the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Rules.
The high court, on May 6, had asked Punjab to abide by the May 2 decision taken during a meeting chaired by Mohan. That meeting, called to address law and order issues, advised the release of the extra water for eight days to meet Haryana’s urgent requirements. However, Punjab, in its application, claimed there was no specific agenda authorising such a water allocation decision.
“The meeting held on May 2 was not convened to decide on water allocation, and the state of Haryana itself stated in court that the meeting pertained to law and order. Therefore, any directions to release water cannot be considered binding on Punjab,” the state argued.
The Punjab government has also initiated legal action against BBMB chairman Manoj Tripathi, accusing him of “deliberate misrepresentation of facts” before the court. According to an official spokesperson, during the May 8 court hearing, Tripathi acknowledged being surrounded by locals and escorted to safety by Punjab Police. However, in an affidavit dated May 9, Tripathi alleged illegal detention, contradicting his earlier statement.
The Punjab government has invoked Section 379 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023, urging the high court to investigate Tripathi under Section 215 of the BNSS for allegedly submitting a false affidavit. It has also sought contempt of court proceedings against Tripathi and Sanjeev Kumar, Director (Water Regulation), for what it described as “wilful disobedience” of the court’s May 6 order.
The spokesperson further clarified that the high court’s May 6 order only directed implementation of decisions taken during the May 2 meeting, but no formal communication regarding water release had been issued to either Punjab officials or BBMB. Punjab has alleged that Tripathi misled BBMB staff by claiming the court had ordered the release of 8,500 cusecs of water to Haryana.
Tensions have flared between Punjab and Haryana over water distribution, with Punjab insisting Haryana has already exhausted its allocated share. Punjab says 4,000 cusecs were already being released on humanitarian grounds and refuses to provide further water, citing Haryana’s full utilisation of its quota.
On May 6, the high court had also directed Punjab and its agencies, including police, not to interfere in the operation and regulation of the Bhakra Nangal Dam and Lohand control room, run by BBMB.
