New Delhi, July 29 -- The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere in the Punjab and Haryana high court's order directing Punjab to release additional 4,500 cusecs of water to Haryana. Dismissing the state's appeal against the May 6 order of the high court, a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta permitted the state to challenge the original order passed by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in April requiring the state to release 8,500 cusecs. Of this, the state had released 4,000 cusecs. While doing so, the top court held that the high court would consider the state's plea without being influenced by its earlier order. The bench noted that while the state had come up in challenge against the May 6 HC order, it failed to appeal against the BBMB order that formed the basis for the order under challenge. Further, on May 2, the Union home secretary had intervened and asked Punjab to release the additional water to Haryana as per BBMB's directive. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Punjab along with advocate Vivek Jain, informed the court that water is an "emotive" issue in the state and Punjab cannot be expected to release more than what it is required to give to Haryana. The May 6 order of the HC further directed Punjab not to interfere in BBMB's functioning and to abide by the Union home secretary's May 2 decision which asked the board to release additional 4,500 cusecs of water to Haryana. Singhvi said, "The law provides that such disputes should be decided by an inter-state water dispute tribunal. Nothing has been decided in this case. The BBMB is only a management board. There is a lot of feeling of injustice from one state to another and vice versa. It is a matter of emotive value in both states." The state objected to the May 2 order of Union home secretary alleging that the Centre cannot direct Punjab to give 4,500 cusecs of extra water to Haryana. "This creates a festering sore. The high court can be asked to decide it again or this court may decide it or send it to a water dispute tribunal," Singhvi submitted. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing for the BBMB, said the high court was not called to decide the release of 4,500 cusecs of water. He said, "There was a law and order situation and the Union home secretary took some decision. Meanwhile, villagers filed contempt seeking removal of police force. The high court order intended free flow of water." The SG further said that it was always open for the state to dispute the board's decision as there is a mechanism provided for it under the BBMB Act. To the state's objection that the Union home secretary could not have intervened, Mehta said, "They may be right. It is not the home secretary, but the power secretary who will have jurisdiction." The board informed the court that instead of complying with the April order, the state sent police force to prevent board officials from implementing the court order. "This is not how the state should act," Mehta said. The controversy erupted on April 28 when the Haryana government's demand for additional water from the Bhakra dam was approved by the BBMB despite opposition from Punjab. The Punjab government refused to accept the decision and deployed police at Nangal dam, 13 km downstream from Bhakra, to stop the additional water release. The Union home ministry stepped in on May 2 and directed that additional water be released to Haryana. However, the BBMB said that the order could not be complied with as the Punjab Police prevented board officials from discharging their duties....