In a big setback to the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh, the state high court on Thursday declared Amaravati as the only capital city of the state and directed that no office should be shifted from Amaravati to any other city, including Visakhapatnam.
A three-member bench headed by chief justice Prashant Kumar Mishra said the state assembly had no right to enact any legislation on the new capitals for the state.
It directed that the state government should develop Amaravati as per the master plan of the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) within three months.
The bench also directed that the state government submits its report to the court from time to time on the developmental works being undertaken in Amaravati.
It asked the government to hand over the completely developed plots to the farmers who gave away their lands for the capital city.
Except for the development of the capital city, the government should not mortgage the lands for any other purpose, the court said.
“Amaravati should be developed as the capital city of the state. Within three months, the plots allotted to the stakeholders should be developed and infrastructure facilities should be created for the plots within three months,” the court said.
It also directed that the government should not deviate from the master plan. The state assembly has no powers to make any further laws on the capital city.
“No office should be shifted from Amaravati to any other place,” the bench said, adding that the government should pay Rs 50,000 to each of 100-odd petitioners towards court expenses.
