Katchatheevu: Centre Tells Supreme Court It Does Not Want to Reopen the Island Issue With Sri Lanka

• The Centre's position: Attorney General R. Venkataramani said the government does not want to reopen the issue. He explained that the government had initially engaged with the matter but later dropped it because of India's relationship with Sri Lanka, which, as reported by Organiser, he described as "excellent" and something India "does not want to spoil".
• Fishing: He said Tamil Nadu fishermen cross into Sri Lankan waters because of depleted fish stocks on the Indian side, and that they risk arrest when they do so.
• The bench: The judges asked about progress in the matter and how long it could remain pending. They said Indian fishermen need to be sensitised against entering Sri Lanka's territorial waters, and expressed concern about arrests.
• Diplomacy: The Attorney General objected to the court making a formal statement on protective measures, saying it could affect diplomatic relations. The court recorded the government's statement that it is alive to the issues and would take necessary measures.

The court did not rule on the constitutional questions. The case has been listed again for February 2027.

What the case is about

Katchatheevu lies between Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka's northern coast. Under a 1974 agreement, India accepted Sri Lanka's sovereignty over the island, and a 1976 agreement on the maritime boundary affected where Indian fishermen could fish.

In August 2008, then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa asked the Supreme Court to declare both agreements void. The petition argues that Indian territory cannot be ceded without a constitutional amendment, relying on the Supreme Court's 1960 Berubari Union opinion, and that Parliament never ratified the agreements. Other petitions have since been heard alongside it, including A.K. Selvaraj v Union of India, in which senior advocate P. Wilson appeared for the petitioners.

Why it keeps returning

For fishing communities in Rameswaram and nearby districts, the issue is about livelihoods. Arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy, and the seizure of boats, are recurring flashpoints. Politically, Katchatheevu resurfaces regularly in Tamil Nadu and in national debates over who was responsible for the 1974 decision.

The Centre's statement suggests that, whatever the outcome in court, it intends to deal with the fishermen's concerns through diplomacy with Sri Lanka rather than by reopening the boundary.