The Andhra Pradesh High Court has extended the status quo on the YSRCP government’s move to trifurcate the state capital yet again, this time to September 21. While extending the status quo, a three-judge bench of the high court agreed to hear the case on a day-to-day basis from September 21. The Andhra Pradesh HC had previously extended the stay till August 27.
As previous orders for the status quo expired on Thursday, the court resumed hearing of the petitions challenging the Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020 and the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) Repeat Act, 2020. The bench gave the government time till September 11 to file its counter affidavit. The petitioners may submit their objections by September 17.
Mallikarjuna, a High Court lawyer, told TV9 that the state government has been asked to file separate counters to each of nearly 70 petitions filed in the court over the issue, instead of the single counter that it has presently submitted. Another petition has been filed on Thursday, contesting the laying of the foundation for a government guest house in Vizag. The petitioner argued that the construction of a guest house by the government was in violation of the status quo ordered by the court. The court asked the government to file a counter reply by September 10.
The guest house is one among four such constructions sanctioned earlier in July, to come up in Vijayawada, Tirupati and Kakinada, apart from Vizag. The court has reportedly directed that the counter in this particular petition be signed by the Chief Secretary.
The HC stay prevents the state government from taking any steps towards moving the capital, until further orders.
In the Amaravati capital region villages, farmers and landowners have continued to protest the shifting of the capitals. The two legislations — Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Repeal Act, 2020 and the Andhra Pradesh Decentralisation and Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020 — which were approved by Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan on July 31 and notified by the government, have been contested in the High Court.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court rejected the Andhra Pradesh government’s plea, which challenged the High Court’s status quo order.
The SC bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and M R Shah, which was informed that the matter is pending before a full court bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, refused to interfere with the interim order passed by the HC.
The high court had ordered the status quo as the petitioners feared that the government might start shifting offices to Visakhapatnam and Kurnool by taking advantage of the Bills being passed for the same.
With IANS inputs