India’s government has told its Supreme Court that it does not intend to reopen the 1974 and 1976 agreements with Sri Lanka on Katchatheevu and fishing rights.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani told a bench of Justices Sanjay Kumar and Sanjeev Sachdeva that the relationship between the two countries was the reason. He said concerns involving Indian fishermen were being pursued through diplomatic channels, and that India could not compel Sri Lanka to accept its position.
He also said fishermen from Tamil Nadu repeatedly crossed the international maritime boundary, and that falling fish stocks on the Indian side had contributed to this. He stressed the need to make fishermen aware of the boundary.
The hearing concerned petitions, pending since 2008, that challenge the 1974 transfer of Katchatheevu and the 1976 restrictions on Indian fishing in Sri Lankan waters. Senior Advocate P. Wilson, for the petitioners in A.K. Selvaraj v. Union of India, argued that the 1974 agreement was a transfer of territory and needed an amendment to Schedule I of the Indian Constitution.
The court did not rule on the validity of either agreement. The case is set for further hearing in February 2027.
