The Supreme Court directed the Union government to notify an inter-State water disputes tribunal within a month to resolve the Pennaiyar river dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Tamil Nadu argued that inter-State river water is a national asset, that the 1892 agreement remains binding, and that tributaries such as the Markandeyanadhi fall within it. The South Pennar (Thenpennai) rises in Nandi Hills, Chikkaballapura district of Karnataka, and at 497 km is Tamil Nadu's second-longest river after the Kaveri. Sathanur Dam is its largest dam, and Cuddalore lies on its delta.