Centre and Congress spar over katchtheevu issue

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Where is the island of Katchatheevu?

Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited speck in the Palk Strait, between India and Sri Lanka.
It lies northeast of Rameswaram, about 33 km from the Indian coast. It is about 62 km southwest of Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 km away from the inhabited Delft Island, belonging to Sri Lanka.
The only structure on the island is an early 20th-century Catholic shrine – St Anthony’s church. During an annual festival, Christian priests from both India and Sri Lanka conduct the service, with devotees from both India and Sri Lanka making the pilgrimage.
Katchatheevu is not suited for permanent settlement as there is no source of drinking water on the island.

When did Katchtheevu become a part of Sri Lanka?

Katchatheevu became a part of Sri Lanka following an agreement signed between the then Prime Ministers of India and Sri Lanka, Indira Gandhi and Sirima R.D. Bandaranaike, from June 26-28, 1974.
This agreement demarcated the boundary between the two countries in the waters from the Palk Strait to Adam’s Bridge, based on historical evidence, legal international principles, and precedents.
A joint statement issued on June 28, 1974, confirmed that the defined boundary placed Katchatheevu one mile off the west coast of its uninhabited land.
This pact concluded negotiations that had been ongoing since October 1921, initially between the governments of Madras (now Chennai) and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

How important has been Kachatheevu to the fisherfolk?

Katchatheevu has been of significant importance to the fisherfolk of both India and Sri Lanka, serving as a traditional fishing ground for them.
While the 1974 agreement between India and Sri Lanka recognized this traditional usage, a supplemental pact in March 1976 specified that fishing vessels and fishermen from the two countries could not fish in the historic waters, territorial seas, exclusive zones, or exclusive economic zones of either country without explicit permission from Sri Lanka or India.
Additionally, Katchatheevu hosts an annual festival at St. Anthony’s Church, typically in February or March, which attracts devotees from both sides of the Palk Bay, underscoring the islet’s cultural significance beyond its economic importance to the fishing communities.

What triggered the negotiations between India and Sri Lanka?

The negotiations between India and Sri Lanka over Kachatheevu were triggered by conflicting sovereignty claims.
- Sri Lanka claimed sovereignty based on the historical jurisdiction exercised by the Portuguese during their occupation of the island from 1505 to 1658 CE.
- On the other hand, India argued that Kachatheevu was part of the zamin (estate) of the erstwhile Raja of Ramnad (Ramanathapuram), indicating long-standing possession and administration as part of his territory.
This claim was supported by an interview published by The Hindu on March 6, 1968, with the erstwhile Raja Ramanatha Sethupathi, who stated that Kachatheevu had been under the zamin’s jurisdiction “from time immemorial” and had been a tax-collecting point for the estate until 1947, when it was taken over by the State government following the Zamindari Abolition Act.
The matter was discussed in the Lok Sabha in July 1974, where the then External Affairs Minister Swaran Singh stated that the decision regarding the islet had been made after “exhaustive research of historical and other records.”

What has been the stand of the Union government on the issue?

As of August 2013, the Union government’s stance conveyed to the Supreme Court was that the retrieval of Kachchatheevu from Sri Lanka was not considered feasible, arguing that no Indian territory had been ceded to Sri Lanka.
The government presented the islet as a historical dispute between British India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), with no established boundary prior to the dispute.
This issue was reportedly resolved through the agreements made in 1974 and 1976. Further, in December 2022, the Union government reiterated its position in the Rajya Sabha, referencing the two agreements to affirm that Katchatheevu falls on the Sri Lankan side of the India-Sri Lanka International Maritime Boundary Line.

Source: TH