Land acquired for the SYL canal, which is at the centre of a water-sharing dispute with Haryana, will not be returned to farmers. The Supreme Court on Thursday held a 2004 law passed by the Punjab Assembly scrapping all inter-State water sharing accords and leading to the return of over 5000 acres acquired for the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal, constitutionally invalid. Whether the 2004 Act in accordance with the Constitution. Whether the 2004 law is in accordance with the Inter State Water Disputes Act and the Punjab Re-organisation Act of 1966, in which Haryana was carved out of Punjab. Haryana had argued that “it is the duty of this Court to maintain the integrity of the federal structure" to stop Punjab.

Source: The Hindu November 10, 2016 10:49 UTC