The Hindu : Maharashtra to move SC on border dispute

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 13, 2003

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Maharashtra to move SC on border dispute

By Our Special Correspondent

MUMBAI FEB. 12. The Maharashtra Government has decided to move the Supreme Court under Article 121 of the Constitution to get its border dispute with Karnataka resolved.

The Chief Minister, Sushilkumar Shinde, told reporters here today that his Government today appointed a committee of three lawyers to prepare the case, gathering documents and maps and he hoped to file the petition in about three months' time. Both Karnataka and the Union would be the respondents.

Mr. Shinde said this was the only way left since Karnataka was not prepared to come to the negotiating table but that did not mean that he was closing that option.

He said that the lawyers' committee would study the dispute and what had transpired so far and would also look into the legal aspect before deciding on the nature of the petition.

He said that the people of the disputed area now wanted the uncertainty ended one and for all. Maharashtra wanted the merger of the Marathi-speaking areas in the State, including Belgaum town now in Karnataka.

It did not accept the recommendation of the Mahajan Commission which had gone in favour of Karnataka.

Karnataka refused to hold any talk on the dispute and maintained that so far as it was concerned, the row was already settled and the only aspect that needed to be discussed was the implementation of the Mahajan Commission's recommendation.

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