- AP CM Jagan put forward the proposal of shifting HC from Amaravati to Kurnool
- Union Minister of Law &Justice responded to the question raised by MP GVL Narasimha Rao.
New Delhi: Shifting of High Court from Amarvati to Kurnool should be done after AP Govt and HC reached a consensus, Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad said in Rajya Sabha today. Replying to a series of queries posed by BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao, the minister said that decision of AP High Court and AP Government will be considered final on the proposal. The minister clarified that it was a proposal only for shifting of High Court but not for setting up benches in other cities of Andhra Pradesh. He reminded that the matter was sub-judice as it is pending in the AP High Court as of now. BJP MP GVL raised a question in Rajya Sabha that whether there is proposal to shift HC to principal seat of Rayalaseema and whether it was accepted by Central Government and is there any chance that Ministry of Law and Justice would recognise Kurnool as Judicial Capital of Andhra Pradesh, if High Court is established there.
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AP High Court was established in Amaravati under AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, and started functioning from January 1st, 2019. After Jagan Mohan Reddy became CM of AP, he moved ahead with decentralisation in the name of three capitals with Vizag as executive, Kurnool as Judicial and Amarvati as Legislative wing. To move ahead with his proposal, the chief minister had met Union Minister of Law Ravi Shankar Prasad in February 2020. Ravi Shankar Prasad in a written reply said that there is no time frame for shifting but came up with a key statement that administration and expenditure cost shall be borne by AP Govt and administrative responsibilities of the HC will be conferred upon by CJ.
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Numerous petitions were filed in court objecting to the shifting of HC from Amarvati and one has to see how unanimous decision will be taken by HC and AP Govt to resolve the issue.
