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SC refuses to interfere in High Court order on three capitals for Andhra Pradesh
A division bench of the Supreme Court set aside the special leave petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh government, challenging the high court ‘s order for status quo on continuing Amaravati as the state capital..
In yet another setback to the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government’s plan to form three capitals for Andhra Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant stay on the high court order for status quo on continuing Amaravati as the state capital.
A division bench of the Supreme Court comprising justice Ashok Bhushan, justice R Subhash Reddy and justice M R Shah set aside the special leave petition filed by the state government, challenging the high court order.
The bench said it cannot interfere in the matter, as it is already pending in the high court and is coming up for hearing on Thursday.
The Supreme Court also rejected the plea of the state government to direct the high court to expedite the hearing. “We cannot fix a deadline to the high court to complete the hearing. But we hope it will settle the issue at the earliest,” the bench said.
Senior counsel Fali S Nariman, arguing for the farmers of Amaravati, said the high court was formed in Amaravati as per a presidential order. As such, the state government cannot decide the judicial capital at Kurnool, he said.
The development comes as a big disappointment for the Jagan government which is keen on shifting the executive capital to Visakhapatnam at the earliest.
More than 55 public interest litigation petitions have been filed in the high court challenging the laws pertaining to creation of three capitals and abolition of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA).
The HC granted status quo on the two Acts till August 27. The case will come up for hearing in the high court on Thursday.
