Andhra High Court orders status quo on two new laws for three capitals

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on

Tuesday ordered a status quo on two new laws that enable the establishment of three new capitals for the state.

A division bench comprising justices Rakesh Kumar, A V Sesha Sai and M Satyanarayana Murthy passed the order during the hearing of a batch of interim applications filed by the Amaravati Parirakshana Samiti seeking a stay and posted the case to August 14 for further hearing.

Ordering the status quo, the court, considered the government plea and gave ten days time to file its counter.

On July 31 the state government notified the AP Decentralisationand Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020,and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (Repeal) Act, 2020, immediately afterGovernor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan gave his assent to the related bills passed by the assembly.

The law gives shape to the YSR Congress government's plan of having three capitals for the state -- executive in Visakhapatnam, Legislative in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool.

The petitioners, who have already filed a batch of writ petitions opposing the three capitals move, expressed fear that the government was likely to shift the capital from Amaravati and sought a stay on the two new acts.

Accordingly, the court ordered a status quo in the matter.