The sudden notification issued by President of India Ramnath Kovind declaring the bifurcation of common Hyderabad high court into two separate high courts for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with effect from January 1, came as a rude shock to Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
The initial impression given to Naidu was that the appointed day for bifurcation of combined high court would be April 7, coinciding with Ugadi festival, the Telugu New Year Day.
The temporary high court complex being constructed in Amaravati is nearing completion and it would take another couple of months to give it a complete look. So, Naidu thought his government would have sufficient time.
Even the team of high court judges which visited the temporary court complex expressed satisfaction over the works and was expecting that it would be ready in a couple of months.
But, the Presidential notification came as a real surprise for Naidu.
In fact, the notification came within hours of Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and representing the issue of high court bifurcation. And Modi obliged the request instantly.
It was definitely an embarrassment to Naidu, as he has not made any alternative arrangements for the running of a separate high court at Amaravati.
He hurriedly asked his officials to look for accommodation to run the high court at least till the temporary complex is completed.
Finally, it was decided to allot the existing Chief Minister camp office at Vijayawada to the high court from January 1.
For about four days, the high court will run from there and after that, the court will be closed for Sankranti vacations for 15 days.
In the meantime, the temporary court complex should be ready, the chief minister instructed.
