The Punjab Government has filed an application before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, requesting the recall of its 6 May order, which instructed Punjab to comply with the Central Government’s directive to release Bhakra dam water to Haryana.

The original order followed a decision made at a meeting held on 2 May, chaired by the Union Home Secretary, which called for releasing an additional 4,500 cusecs of water to Haryana over eight days to address emergent needs.

In its plea, Punjab strongly contested the Union Home Secretary’s authority to issue directives regarding water allocation, arguing that the Home Secretary is not the competent authority under the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Rules. Punjab further asserted that the 2 May meeting was convened to address law and order concerns, not water allocation, and therefore could not have legally decided on this issue.

Additionally, Punjab claimed that the BBMB had withheld a letter from Haryana, which requested that the matter be referred to the Central Government under Rule 7 of the BBMB Rules, 1974.

In its application, Punjab invoked Article 262 of the Constitution, which states that inter-state water disputes must be resolved under the Inter-State Water Disputes Act of 1956. Punjab argued that any action taken to release water without proper consent would constitute a water dispute, which can only be addressed by the Water Tribunal under the 1956 Act.

Punjab has requested the High Court to review or modify its earlier decision, claiming that important facts were not fully disclosed during the initial hearing.