Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the corruption case against YSR Congress Party leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy might be back to square one with the bifurcation of the High Court at Hyderabad.
He told reporters on Friday that the division of the court between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had come at a time when the case against Jaganmohan Reddy was coming to the trial stage.
"Now with the division of the court between two states, the judge will be also transferred and the case will have to restart," said Naidu while indirectly hinting at a conspiracy by the Central government to save the Leader of Opposition.
Jagan, as the YSR Congress chief, is the prime accused in the cases relating to alleged investments made by various private firms and individuals in his businesses as a quid pro quo for various favours bestowed on them by the government of his father Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh between 2004 and 2009.
The High Court at Hyderabad was serving as the common court for both the states since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
The Centre on Wednesday issued a notification which said that Andhra Pradesh will have its own High Court from January 1 at its capital Amaravati, while the existing High Court in Hyderabad will become the High Court of Telangana.
Naidu found fault with the Central government for not giving time for the court employees to move from Hyderabad to Amaravati.
He said the Centre should have given 15 days to two months after issuing the notification so that the employees could mentally prepare themselves and necessary arrangements could be made for the buildings for the court and the accommodation of the judges and staff.
"Is this the way Centre should conduct itself," asked the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief.
He said the High Court would function from the old building of Chief Minister's Camp Office till the new building was ready. He said suitable accommodation for the judges and court officials were being arranged in hotels and other buildings.