Cauvery row: Supreme Court to hear plea on maintaining law and order in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka today

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear a plea seeking direction to the Centre, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka to maintain law and order in these two states witnessing violent protests in the wake of a row over the distribution of Cauvery water.

On Wednesday, senior advocate Adish Aggarwala, appearing for P Shivakumar, urged a bench comprising Chief Justice TS Thakur and AM Khanwilkar that an urgent hearing of the PIL be done as on Thursday, there is a state-wide bandh in Karnataka and, a day after, Tamil Nadu will have the same kind of protest across that state.

He said the states be directed to take prompt action against the protesters to maintain law and order and provide security to private and public properties and the citizens of both the states.

Shivakumar, who claims to be a social activist, has also sought a direction that the leaders of the protest be held accountable for the damage caused to the properties and be asked to pay up for them.

Bengaluru limped back to normal life on Wednesday, making police lift curfew in all the affected areas two days after violence shook the country's tech hub in protest against Karnataka releasing Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu on the Supreme Court's directives.

Partial curfew was enforced three days since Tuesday after violence erupted on Monday in which one person was killed in police firing and 78 vehicles, including trucks and buses, were burnt across the city.

On September 12, the apex court modified its earlier order on sharing of Cauvery water and directed Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs instead of 15,000 cusecs per day till September 20 to Tamil Nadu.

Rejecting Karnataka's plea seeking to place in abeyance for its earlier order, the court asked the executives to ensure compliance.

The apex court bench was critical of the language used in the fresh plea of Karnataka seeking to keep in abeyance the September 5 order asking it to release 15,000 cusecs water per day to Tamil Nadu.

(With Agency inputs)