Andhra CM Naidu asks Chief Justice of Hyd HC to inspect building for Amaravati HC

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu wrote to the Hyderabad High Court's acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, urging him to check and approve one of the buildings identified for housing the state's HC.

AP advocate general Dammalapati Srinivas handed over the letter personally to the CJ.

According to reports, Naidu has asked for suggestions by the end of January, so that modifications to the buildings can be made by April, and the court itself can begin functioning by June this year.

Quoting sources close to the judiciary, DC reported that that the five senior-most judges will likely be on the committee to inspect the buildings identified by the state government. The committee will be constituted after the CJ convenes a Full Court meeting on Wednesday. 

Once the building gets selected, judges will also have to be transferred and evenly distributed.

Speaking to ToI, a legal authority said that judges of the common Hyderabad HC had already exercised their options, and those who opted for the AP HC would be officially transferred to the neighbouring state, through a Presidential notification, after a nod by the Supreme Court and the Centre.

Earlier this week, A day after protests rocked the Lok Sabha, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad spoke in the House on the matter of bifurcating the Hyderabad High Court, which is presently overseeing cases from both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Prasad said that Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu has offered four buildings in Amaravati to temporarily host the state's High Court in Amaravati.

The bifurcation would take place according to the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the Union Minister said.

“We are giving funds to AP government to build the new infrastructure as the present high court belongs to Telangana as per the Act. The construction and completion of new buildings will certainly takes time. Meanwhile, the AP government has come out with a proposal to locate the HC in a temporary building. This should get the approval of the high court,” Prasad was quoted as saying.