In a dramatic turn in the ongoing Bhakra Nangal dam dispute, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has ordered the Central government to hand over the minutes of a critical meeting held on May 2—one that allegedly greenlit the release of extra water to Haryana, much to Punjab’s displeasure.
The directive, issued by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel, comes amid rising tensions after Punjab Police reportedly stopped the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) from releasing 4,500 cusecs of water to Haryana and parts of Rajasthan—even after the Court had explicitly barred any interference.
This friction, long simmering beneath the surface of inter-state water politics, now threatens to spill over. Gram Panchayat Matana, which initiated the legal move, demanded not just water but protection—calling for the deployment of central forces at the dam site, which falls under BBMB’s operational command.
What followed was nothing short of chaos. BBMB Chairman Manoj Tripathi informed the court that his officers had been obstructed by Punjab Police in direct defiance of judicial instructions. He went further, claiming he was surrounded—“gheraoed”—by an agitated mob while staying at a guest house. Though Punjab Police eventually rescued him, the gravity of the situation was not lost on the bench.
Tripathi has now been told to file a sworn affidavit on the incident. “We will be filing an FIR separately. It is a serious issue,” he added.
Meanwhile, when the Court turned to the Centre for answers about the controversial May 2 meeting—said to have been chaired by the Union Home Secretary—Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain admitted that no formal minutes were recorded. Instead, a press note had been issued.
The judges weren’t buying it.
“If a meeting was chaired by the Union Home Secretary, it cannot be informal. There must be records,” they said sternly, directing the Union government to produce the minutes at the next hearing.
The Court is also pressing for clarity on who exactly has the authority to review or reverse BBMB decisions—particularly when a state feels shortchanged. That answer, too, must be on record by Friday, when the matter resumes.
As tempers flare and questions mount, the Bhakra Nangal dam—long a symbol of shared development—has become a flashpoint for political tension, judicial intervention, and bureaucratic finger-pointing.