The Hyderabad High Court saw both celebration and protests on Thursday, as lawyers from Telangana distributed sweets and those from Andhra Pradesh staged a 'dharna' on the road outside the premises after it was declared that Andhra would have its own High Court from January 1.
The Union Law Ministry issued an order on Wednesday signed by President Ram Nath Kovind, which said that Andhra Pradesh will have its own High Court from January 1 next year at its capital Amaravati and the High Court at Hyderabad shall become the High Court for Telangana. The order also allocated judges to the two high courts.
While lawyers from Telangana celebrated the order and said that after close to five years, justice had finally been served and district courts in all 31 districts in the state would also soon be functional, lawyers from Andhra Pradesh were not pleased.
Speaking to reporters, the lawyers demanded that the Centre take back the gazette notification, and argued that three days were not enough to shift to Amaravati, when the construction of the temporary Andhra Pradesh High Court was yet to be completed.
The lawyers asked for time until March, so that at least certain facilities like accommodation could be provided by the state government in Amaravati.
"In pursuance of article 214 of the Constitution and the Order issued by the Supreme Court of India and in exercise of powers conferred under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, the President hereby constitutes a separate High Court for the State of Andhra Pradesh from January 1, 2019 with the principal seat at Amaravati and the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad shall become the High Court for the State of Telangana," the notification issued on Wednesday said.
It also said that 16 judges shall cease to be the Judges of the High Court at Hyderabad and shall become the Judges of Andhra Pradesh High Court from January 1.
The judges are Justice Ramesh Ranganathan (presently working as Chief Justice of High Court of Uttarakhand), Justice Chagari Praveen Kumar, Justice Sarasa Venkatanarayana Bhatti, Justice Akula Venkata Sesha Sai, Justice Dama Seshadri Naidu (presently working on transfer as a judge in the High Court of Kerala), Justice Mandhata Seetharama Murti, Justice Upmaka Durga Prasad Rao, Justice Talluri Sunil Chowdary, Justice Mallavolu Satyanarayana Murthy, Justice Gudiseva Shyam Prasad, Justice Kumari Javalakar Uma Devi, Justice Nakka Balayogi, Justice Telaprolu Rajani, Justice Durvasula Venkata Subramanya Suryanarayana Somayajulu, Justice Kongara Vijaya Lakshmi and Justice Manthoj Ganga Rao.
The notification also named 10 judges who will cease to be the judges of the common High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad and shall become judges of Telangana High Court from January 1.
They are Justice Puligoru Venkata Sanjay Kumar, Justice Mamidanna Satya Ratna Ramachandra Rao, Justice Adavalli Rajasheker Reddy, Justice Ponugoti Naveen Rao, Justice Challa Kodandaram Chowdary, Justice Bulusu Siva Sankara Rao, Justice Dr Shameem Akther, Justice Potlapalli Keshava Rao, Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Justice Todupunuri Amarnath Goud.
It said that Justice R Subhash Reddy, who was a judge of the common High Court at Hyderabad and who had been elevated as judge of the Supreme Court, opted to be allocated to the High Court for the State of Telangana.
IANS inputs