DMK moves court against Centre for “usurping state power” through Dam Safety Act

DMK Lok Sabha MP S Ramalingam has moved the Madras High Court with a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the recent legislated Dam Safety Act, 2021 on the grounds that it “is contrary to the federal structure” and reduces the state’s power.

The first bench of the Madras High Court on Tuesday accepted a request by senior advocate and DMK MP P Wilson for an urgent hearing and listed the matter for on January 10. Wilson submitted that the writ petition is challenging the vires of the Act on various grounds including that the Parliament has no legislative competence to legislate the Act which is in the domain of the state. Further, he said that the Act has the effect of taking control over all major dams in the state.

Ramalingam seeks for the Act to be struck down calling the union government’s actions arbitrary and discriminatory in reducing the state’s powers in the regulation and administration in the safety of the dams.