Cauvery release order reignites Karnataka protests, Tamil Nadu to move court

The Cauvery Water Management Authority ordered Karnataka to release 3,500 cusecs daily to Tamil Nadu for 15 days, but the state refused, citing poor rainfall and drinking water needs. Tamil Nadu plans to move the Supreme Court, while pro-Kannada groups call for a statewide bandh on August 13. The standoff is the latest in a three-decade pattern of release orders triggering protests, political mobilisation, and legal battles, from the 1991 tribunal award to the 2016 Supreme Court rulings and the 2023 CWMA order.