Bengaluru: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Karnataka government to release 2000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu till further order.

A three-judge bench led by Justice Dipak Misra extended its October 4, 2016 order, directing Karnataka to release 2000 cusecs of water per day to Tamil Nadu. This interim arrangement would continue till the court gives further orders. The three-judge bench passed the order after hearing the report submitted by its high-level panel.

The panel in its 40-page report has noted that farmers in both states were in severe distress and adequate crop compensation must be provided to them. The top court further asked both governments to maintain peace and harmony in their respective states.

Meanwhile, the Bench, also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and A.M. Khanwilkar, will continue to hear on the question of maintainability of the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 final award of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

The Bench said it would first pronounce judgment on the maintainability of these appeals – which it said was the fulcrum of the litigation before it – before delving into other issues regarding the Cauvery water dispute.

The Centre, represented by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, submitted that the Supreme Court had no jurisdiction to entertain these appeals and the 2007 tribunal award was final under Article 262 of the Constitution and provisions of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act, 1956.

Pooh-poohing the claims of the Centre, Karnataka, represented by senior advocate Fali Nariman, said there was no such “deeming fiction”.