Overview

• A bench of Chief Justice B. R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran sought responses from the Union government, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the National Disaster Management Authority.
• The NGO Save Kerala Brigade’s petition seeks decommissioning or reconstruction of the dam, a court‑supervised multidisciplinary inspection and immediate reduction of the reservoir level as an interim step.
• The bench indicated that directions to strengthen the existing structure may be appropriate and proposed evaluation by an expert body to assess safety and the feasibility of a new dam.
• Petitioners cite risk to about 10 million people living downstream, the dam’s 1895 lime‑surki and rubble masonry construction, and increased seismicity and flood events.
• Although located in Kerala, the dam is operated by Tamil Nadu under a pre‑independence lease, and a separate Supreme Court matter recently sought the Centre’s view on creating a Dam Safety Authority.