New Delhi, April 5 -- A sharp rise in legal confrontations between states and the Union government risks undermining India's constitutional design, Supreme Court judge Justice BV Nagarathna said on Saturday, cautioning that such disputes erode the spirit of cooperative federalism and weaken institutional balance.

Delivering the First Dr Rajendra Prasad Memorial Lecture on 'Constitutionalism beyond rights: Why structure matters' at Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) in Patna, Justice Nagarathna stressed that a "mature federation" must prioritise dialogue and negotiation over litigation, warning that the growing tendency of governments to rush to courts reflects deeper structural concerns.

"Increase in conflict between the States of ...