239. If it appears to the Government of any State for the time being specified in Part I or Part III of the First Schedule that the interests of that State, or of any of the inhabitants thereof, in the water from any natural source of supply in any State have been, or likely to be affected prejudicially by ––

(a) any executive action or legislation taken or passed, or proposed to be taken or passed; or

(b) the failure of any authority to exercise any of their powers,

with respect to the use, distribution or control of water from that source, the Government of the State may complain to the President.

240. (1) If the President receives such a complaint as aforesaid, he shall, unless he is of opinion that the issues involved are not of sufficient importance to warrant such action, appoint a Commission consisting of such persons having special knowledge and experience in irrigation, engineering, administration, finance or law as he thinks fit, and request that Commission to investigate in accordance with such instructions as he may give to them, and to report to him on the matters to which the complaint relates, or such of those matters as he may refer to them.

(2) A Commission so appointed shall investigate the matters referred to them and present to the President a report setting out the facts as found by them and making such recommendations as they think proper.

(3) If it appears to the President upon consideration of the Commission's report that anything therein contained requires explanation or that he needs guidance upon any point not originally referred by him to the Commission, he may again refer the matter to the Commission for further investigation and a further report.

(4) For the purposes of assisting a Commission appointed under this article in investigating any matters referred to them, the Supreme Court, if requested by the Commission so to do, shall make such orders for the purposes of the proceedings of the Commission as they may make in exercise of the jurisdiction of the court.

(5) The report of the Commission shall include a recommendation as to the Government or persons by whom the expenses of the Commission and any costs incurred by any State or persons in appearing before the Commission are to be paid and as to the amount of any expenses or costs to be so paid; and an order made by the President under this article, in so far as it relates to expenses or costs, may be enforced as if it were an order made by the Supreme Court.

(6) After considering any report made to him by the Commission the President shall, subject as hereinafter provided, make orders in accordance with the report.

(7) If upon consideration of the Commission's report the President is of opinion that anything therein contained involves a substantial question of law, he shall refer the question to the Supreme Court under article 119 of this Constitution and on receipt of the opinion of the Supreme Court thereon shall, unless the Supreme Court has agreed with the Commission's report, return the report to the Commission together with the opinion and the Commission shall thereupon make such modifications in the report as may be necessary to bring it in accord with such opinion and present the report as so modified to the President.

(8) Effect shall be given, in any State affected, to any order made under this article by the President, and any Act of the Legislature of a State which is repugnant to the order shall, to the extent of the repugnanancy, be void.

(9) The President, on application made to him by the Government of any State affected, may at any time, if a Commission appointed as aforesaid so recommend, vary any order made under this article.

241. If it appears to the President that the interests of any State for the time being specified in Part II of the First Schedule, or of any of the inhabitants of such a State, in the water from any natural source of supply in any State for the time being specified in Part I or Part III of the First Schedule have been or are likely to be affected prejudicially by ––

(a) any executive action or legislation taken or passed, or proposed to be taken or passed; or

(b) the failure of any authority to exercise any of their powers,

with respect to the use, distribution or control of water from that source, he may, if he thinks fit, refer the matter to a Commission appointed in accordance with the provisions of the last preceding article and thereupon those provisions shall apply as if the State for the time being specified in Part II of the First Schedule were a State for the time being specified in Part I of that Schedule and as if a complaint with respect to the matter had been made by the Government of that State to the President.

242. Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, neither the Supreme Court nor any other court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any action or suit in respect of any matter, if action in respect of that matter might have been taken under any of the three last preceding articles by the Government of a State or the President."