In a setback to Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court on Thursday declined to step into the Cauvery water-sharing dispute, dismissing the state’s application against Karnataka’s Mekedatu project and reiterating that water allocation must be decided by expert bodies constituted for the purpose.

Dismissing Tamil Nadu’s latest plea challenging the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Karnataka’s Mekedatu dam, the court said approvals must come from the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), not the judiciary.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said the plea by Tamil Nadu was “misconceived,” noting that the state should have approached the expert bodies empowered to oversee compliance.

“The directions of the Central Water Commission a

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