PIL for stoppage of water to soft drink firms dismissed

A Division Bench comprising Justices TS Sivagnanam and P Velmurugan, while dismissing the PIL, said that the petitioner had failed to submit any scientific proof or material to prove that water supply to the soft drink companies, among other industries, would adversely affect either agriculture or drinking water requirements of people in the southern districts. 

The court said the petitioner had chosen to file the case against PepsiCo and Coca Cola alone, though others in the IGC were drawing much more water. The Judges, however, said, “SIPCOT held the right to stop supply to the industries if there was scarcity of water in the locality.” This was the third case filed in the Madras HC Bench after the dismissal of two similar petitions filed during March this year.