Even as the opposition parties, Amaravati farmers and individuals have been desperately trying to seek the intervention of the Centre to stall the decision of Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh to form three capital cities for the state, the state high court, too, has sought to rope in the Centre into the legal battle.
The state high court, which has been hearing a batch of petitions opposing the trifurcation of the state capital, on Thursday took up yet another petition which argued that the location of the capital city of the state comes under the purview of the Centre.
The high court served notices on the Central government, along with the state government, to file a counter affidavit in this regard and posted the case to August 6 for further hearing.
If the Centre submits an affidavit stating that it had no role whatsoever in the location of the capital, then, things would become easy for the Jagan government.
If the Centre says it had already acknowledged Amaravati as the capital city of AP and that it cannot be changed, then the Jagan government would be in trouble.
But the Centre had already made it clear on the floor of parliament that the capital formation was the prerogative of the state government and that the Centre had no say in it.
The high court, however, refused to hear a petition on the construction of permanent high court in Amaravati as the present high court building was not sufficient.
The court observed that if the state wins the case, then the high court location could be shifted and therefore there can’t be any adjudication of the petition at this juncture.
The high court also refused to entertain the petitions regarding the resolutions passed by the legislative council, select committee and re-introduction of bills by the government.
It observed that when a situation is developing, there can’t be peace-meal hearing and that all the matters have to be taken up together.
