Profile
Settings
Refer your friends
Sign out
Legal and Judicial Timeline:
- 1996: Haryana filed an original suit under Article 131 in the Supreme Court.
- 2002: SC ruled in favour of Haryana; directed Punjab to complete the canal in its territory.
- 2004: Punjab enacted the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act, unilaterally cancelling the 1981 agreement.
- 2004: SC directed the Centre to take control of canal construction.
- 2016: A Constitution Bench struck down the 2004 Act as unconstitutional.
- 2017: SC ordered status quo on land related to the canal project.
- 2025: SC called Punjab’s de-notification of SYL land “high-handed”; urged both states to find a mutual resolution with Centre’s help.
About Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal:
- It is a proposed 214-km canal intended to connect the Sutlej River in Punjab with the Yamuna River in Haryana, facilitating the equitable distribution of Ravi-Beas river waters among Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
- It is one of India’s longest-running inter-State river water disputes.
SC observations:
Punjab’s De-notification of Land: The SC termed Punjab’s move to return acquired land to farmers as violative of judicial directions.
SC clarified that the Status quo applies only to land for the main SYL canal, not Punjab’s internal canal network.
Both states were urged to work with the Centre for a negotiated solution.
Why in News?
- Supreme Court of India criticized the Punjab government’s decision to de-notify land acquired for the construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, labeling it as an act of “high-handedness”
