Katchatheevu Dispute Explained

Situated about 29 kilometres from the Indian Coast, Katchatheevu is a small uninhabited island in Sri Lanka that has long been an issue in India-Sri Lanka ties. Though uninhabited, the island has held strategic importance, and, as a result, both India and Sri Lanka have historic claims over it. 

Katchatheevu Island

Katchatheevu (lit. ‘Barren Island’) is a small volcanic island, merely about 275 meters wide and 1.6 meters long that sits in Palk Strait, right between India and Sri Lanka. It is located about 29 km from Rameswaram and 63 km from Jaffna. 

The island has historically been used by fishermen of both India and Sri Lanka. Moreover, the island was also used by the Royal Ceylon Armed Forces (now Sri Lankan Armed Forces) for various purposes. The island, being barren, was considered of little importance by New Delhi before it relinquished any claims over it.

History of the Dispute

1. Katchatheevu was a part of Zamindari of Raja of Ramnad, granted to him by the British Government in 1805. The Provincial Government of Madras later took over the Property after the Zamindari Abolition Act, 1948.
2. Sri Lanka claims that the island was a part of the historic Kingdom of Jaffnapatnam and refers to records dating back to the 17th Century.
3. British Ceylon continued to claim the island since the early 20th Century and maintained de facto control over it.
4. The dispute found its first reference in the Conference on Fishing, 1921, held between British India and British Ceylon. However, the dispute saw no resolution and the matter of sovereignty over the island remained untouched.
5. The matter flared up again in 1955 when India objected to a gunnery practice by the Royal Ceylon Air Force on the island and sought no such practice until the dispute was settled.
6. The dispute found its supposed settlement in the India–Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary Agreements(1974-76), a series of four agreements between the two countries that demarcated the maritime boundary between them for the first time.
7. With the settlement of the boundary, Indian fishermen lost their right to fish in the waters around Katchatheevu. This has not gone well with the fishing community of Tamil Nadu.
8. The dispute, however, came up once again in 2011, when the Government of Tamil Nadu led by then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha, petitioned in the Supreme Court seeking annulment of the agreements for being unconstitutional.
9. Before the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, the Central Government released classified documents about the Katchatheevu dispute. The issue, however, made no changes to the official stand of the Government of India.

Strategic Importance of Katchatheevu Island

When it comes to geopolitics, Kathchatheevu Island is extremely important attributing to its location. The strategic importance of the island has especially increased after China started to flex its muscles in the region.

1. The primary importance of the island is regarding the food security of Tamil Nadu in times of climate change. Fishermen are increasingly compelled to move deeper into the high seas and, as a result, cross the maritime boundary, resulting in their detention by the Sri Lankan Coast Guard.
2. In 2021, the Sri Lankan Government led by Rajapaksa, reneged the East Container Terminal (ECT) deal with India and Japan. The contract to install a Hybrid Renewable Energy System was then awarded to Sinosoar-Etechwin, a Chinese Joint Venture on three islands between Jaffna and Katchatheevu. The islands are barely 50 km from the Indian coast.
3. During the Sri Lankan Civil War, the access to the Indian fishermen to dry their nets on the island became a point of contention as the Sri Lankan Government was preoccupied with preventing the smuggling of arms.
4. The Indian Ocean Region has increasingly become of considerable strategic importance to India. Sri Lanka also falls in the category.

Current Status of Katchatheevu Island

1. Currently, the island is in full control of Sri Lanka
2. However, Indian civilians are allowed to go to the island for two days each year to celebrate the festival of St. Anthony’s Shrine.
3. St. Anthony’s Shrine is the only permanent structure on the island. It is dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, a patron saint of fishermen and sailors.
4. Due to a high demand for fish, fishermen are compelled to fish deeper into the sea and often cross the India-Sri Lanka Maritime Boundary, resulting in their arrest and confiscation of their vessels. Each year, hundreds of Indian Fishermen are detained and dozens of vessels are seized.
5. Indian fishermen are, however, allowed limited access to the island as stipulated in the 1974 agreement.