With Andhra Pradesh high court pronouncing that Amaravati be retained as the only capital of the state and that the state government should not make any move to shift any office to any part of the state, the capital controversy has come back to square one.
It is definitely an embarrassment to chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, who has been hell bent on creating three capitals for the state – executive capital at Visakhapatnam, judicial capital at Kurnool and legislative capital at Amaravati – for a decentralised development.
While repealing the earlier legislations on the three capitals, Jagan declared in the state assembly in November 2021 that he will bring in new and fool-proof legislations to see that there are no hurdles for the formation of three capital cities for the state.
But the high court categorically declared that the assembly has no right to make any laws on the new capitals and that the government should not deviate from the Amaravati master plan.
Now, the question is whether the chief minister will move the Supreme Court challenging the high court’s verdict, which is the only option left before him to stand by his decision; or whether he will follow the high court order and develop Amaravati as the state capital.
Senior YSRC leader and endowments minister Vellampalli Srinivas Rao said the government would take a decision on further moves, only after going through the copy of the judgement.
“We shall do what is good for the people of the state and we don’t intend to do any injustice to any section of the people,” he said.
Some legal personalities wonder how the courts could infringe into the legislative powers to enact a law on the state capital.
“Amaravati was also made the state capital only through a legislative process. When the assembly can make a law on Amaravati, why can’t it pass the law on three capitals?” a senior advocate commented.
Maybe, on this ground, Jagan might challenge the high court verdict. But what exactly the high court had said in this regard will be known only after the judgement copy comes out.
