NEW DELHI: India on Friday rejected the Court of Arbitration under the Indus Waters Treaty, describing it as illegal and refusing to recognise its authority to hear cases related to the Kishenganga and Ratle hydropower projects in J&K.
"India has never recognised the existence in law of this so-called Court of Arbitration, and India's position has all along been that the constitution of this so-called arbitral body is in itself a serious breach of the Indus Waters Treaty and consequently any proceedings before this forum and any award or decision taken by it are also for that reason illegal and per se void," MEA said.
India's reaction came after the Hague-based Court of Arbitration rendered a "Supplemental Award" on the competence of the court in an arbitration initiated by Pakistan against India.
In the Supplemental Award, the court considered its competence to address Pakistan's request to intervene over the decision made by India on April 23 to keep the 1960 Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Rejecting the authority of the court, MEA said, "No Court of Arbitration, much less this illegally constituted arbitral body which has no existence in the eye of law, has the jurisdiction to examine the legality of India's actions in exercise of its rights as a sovereign."