VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the State government to maintain status quo for 10 days on the much-anticipated shifting of government offices from Amaravati.
The directive was issued on a bunch of petitions seeking the declaration of the Gazette notifications on the AP Decentralisation Act and CRDA (Repeal) Act as unconstitutional.
A division bench comprising Justice Rakesh Kumar, Justice Akula Venkata Seshasai, and Justice M Satyanarayana Murthy directed the government to file a counter to the petitions by August 14 and deferred hearing till then. It also instructed the high court registry to club the petitions with several others pertaining to the capital issue. Presenting his arguments on behalf of Rythu Parirakshana Samithi and five other petitioners, Supreme Court advocate Shyam Divan recalled that the petitioners along with many farmers had given up their land for the construction of a world class capital city. They did so curbing the natural attachment that farmers have for land, he added.
Interjecting during his arguments, Supreme Court senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the State government, requested the bench to grant 10 days to file a detailed counter affidavit and said arguments could be heard thereafter.
Shyam Divan, however, expressed the apprehension that the government could shift offices in the meantime and Amaravati could turn into a ghost city. He urged the bench to order status quo. Rakesh Dwivedi dismissed his fears, stating that heavens will not fall within 10 days and said there was no need for interim directives.
Nonetheless, the bench sought to know what could be the situation if the offices were shifted and pointed out that if the petitioners win the case, the court would have to order the relocation of offices back to Amaravati.
Agreeing with the observation, Dwivedi, however, argued that there was no need to issue interim orders. “Status quo would mean stay order in a way. Shifting of offices is a policy matter. There is no role for the judiciary in it. It is well within the executive’s jurisdiction,” he pointed out.
The bench, though, was not convinced and made it clear that it will issue interim orders. Appearing for the CRDA, senior advocate Niranjan Reddy clarified that development works would continue in Amaravati and petitioners’ rights would not be compromised in any way. He explained that the government had never denotified the capital and nothing could be lost in 10 days. It isn’t appropriate to issue ex parte interim orders without hearing the government’s arguments, he submitted.
Fear that Amaravati would be ghost city
When the govt sought 10 days to file a counter, SC advocate Shyam Divan expressed apprehension that the govt could shift offices in the meantime and Amaravati would turn into a ghost city.