BELAGAVI: The much-anticipated hearing of the Karnataka-Maharashtra border dispute, scheduled to come up before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, did not take place, prolonging uncertainty over one of the country’s most sensitive inter-state disputes.
According to sources, the matter was listed before a two-judge bench comprising Justice Sanjay Kumar and Justice Alok Aradhe, with the hearing having been fixed as early as October last year. However, the proceedings could not be held as both judges were assigned to hear other important cases before separate benches.
Despite the adjournment, the Karnataka government was fully prepared to argue the case. The state’s legal team had completed all groundwork in anticipation of the hearing.
The State Government appointed senior advocate Nishant Patil as Advocate-on-Record only a day earlier, strengthening its legal representation in the case. The next date of hearing is yet to be announced by the apex court. The original suit was filed by the Maharashtra government in 2004, with the Union Government named as the first respondent and the Karnataka government as the second respondent.
With the hearing deferred once again, all eyes are now on the Supreme Court’s registry for the next listing.