The Madras High Court on Wednesday (September 23, 2026) dismissed a writ petition filed by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) whip Agri S.S. Krishnamurthy, who had challenged an amendment to a resolution passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on June 19, 2026, against the proposed construction of Mekedatu dam across the Cauvery river by the Karnataka government.

The First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan rejected the case after Advocate General (A-G) Vijay Narayan played video clips of the Assembly proceedings to prove that it was, in fact, the amended resolution that was put to vote in the House by Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar and passed uananimously, after no Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) raised any objections.

AIADMK whip’s plaint

The AIADMK whip had approached the court complaining that the amendment, which urges the Centre to constitute a tribunal for resolving the inter-State dispute regarding Mekedatu dam, was not debated at all in the House and that it was introduced at the last moment after almost all the members of the House had expressed their unanimous support to the unamended resolution circulated to them a day before the proceedings.

He said that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay had agreed to carry out the amendment at the request of the Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin and such amendment ought to have been debated before being passed as an unanimous decision taken by the House. Since the amended resolution had been communicated to the Centre as well, the petitioner insisted upon withdrawing the same.

He had also urged the court to quash the portion of the resolution, which demands the constitution of a tribunal under Section 4 of the Inter State River Water Disputes Act, 1956, and declare that the unamended resolution, expressing strong opposition to the construction of the proposed dam by the neighbouring State, as having been validly adopted by the Legislative Assembly on June 19, 2026.

A-G plays video clips of proceedings

On the other hand, the A-G played video clips of the request made by the Leader of the Opposition to carry out the amendment, its acceptance by the Chief Minister, and the amended resolution having been put to vote by the Speaker. He told the court it was only the amended resolution that was put to vote and none of the members, including the writ petitioner, raised any objection at that point of time.

Tamil NaduCongress Committee (TNCC) president and Virudhunagar MP B. Manickam Tagore on Friday (July 31, 2026) responded, in a strongly worded statement, to Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) president Anbumani Ramadoss, asking why he was dragging Leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi into the issue of the Mekedatu dam when he could reach out to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has the “duty and responsibility” to find a solution to the Cauvery dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

In the statement, Mr. Tagore recalled Dr. Anbumani’s comments that he would leave the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) if Mr. Gandhi, who is scheduled to visit Chennai on August 1, were to assert that the construction of the Mekedatu dam was against Tamil Nadu’s interests and that the Karnataka government should not proceed with it. These questions could be raised with Mr. Gandhi after he becomes the Prime Minister, Mr. Tagore remarked.

“It is the duty and responsibility of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to find a solution to the Cauvery river water dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This year, because the rains failed, the water that should have come to Tamil Nadu from the Cauvery river did not come,” he pointed out.

Against this backdrop, the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee had ordered the Karnataka government to release water to Tamil Nadu at the rate of 3,500 cusecs per day for the next 15 days. “It is the duty of the Prime Minister to hold talks with the Chief Ministers of both States and ensure that the Committee’s order is implemented,” he said.

“The complaint of the people of Tamil Nadu is that the Prime Minister is failing in that duty. We should all condemn this. Dr. Anbumani is part of the BJP-led NDA. He is also in a position to easily approach the Prime Minister,” Mr. Tagore said.

He further said, “The TNCC’s position is that Tamil Nadu should get justice in the Cauvery issue and that the water due to the State should be released. We have always been firm on that. The Congress MLAs in the Assembly will always raise their voices for Tamil Nadu. The Congress does not want to do politics over the Cauvery issue.”