India Rejects World Bank Court's Indus Waters Treaty Ruling

India on Monday categorically rejected a ruling by a World Bank-constituted Court of Arbitration concerning the Indus Waters Treaty, declaring the body illegally formed and asserting its decisions have no bearing on India's sovereign projects. The court's award, issued the same day, stated that the treaty remains in force and ordered India to limit construction work at the Ratle hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir pending a separate expert review.

The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India does not recognize the legal existence of the Court of Arbitration and has never appeared before it. "This so-called Court was constituted by the World Bank in patent breach of the terms of the Treaty and India categorically rejects its so-called award," the ministry said. It maintained that the body has no jurisdiction over India's sovereign decisions and that its pronouncements will not affect the country's actions regarding its projects.

The arbitration ruling addressed interim measures and the status of the treaty itself. The court affirmed that the Indus Waters Treaty is fully in force and that India must continue to abide by its obligations, including those governing the...