The Jagan Mohan Reddy government’s plan to shift the judicial capital to Kurnool first before going about with the shifting of executive capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam seems to have received a setback.
All these days, the Jagan government has been strongly lobbying with the Centre to take steps for the notification of Kurnool as the judicial capital with the shifting of the principal bench of the high court from Amaravati.
Jagan himself represented the matter with Union home minister Amit Shah twice. Apparently, he thought if the Centre gives nod for the shifting of judicial capital to Kurnool, it would pave way for the shifting of executive capital to Visakhapatnam.
Even as the representation is pending with Shah, the centre has now made it clear that it has nothing to do with the shifting of judicial capital to Kurnool.
“It is not in the hands of the centre. It is for the state government and the high court to take a call,” the Centre said in reply to an RTI query.
Finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy has already announced that the high court would come up in 250 acres of land at Jagannatha Gattu in Kurnool and said the foundation stone for the same would be laid soon.
However, with the Centre throwing up its hands on the shifting of the high court, the ball is now in the court of the Jagan government and the state high court.
As per the rules, it is mandatory on the part of the high court to give consent for the shifting of the high court. If the chief justice of the high court and other judges agree in principle for the judicial capital and are happy with the facilities in Kurnool, they would give consent.
Then, the state government would send the proposal to the centre, which in turn, would refer it to the President of India to give a fresh notification on the high court location. If the high court judges are not willing to move out of Amaravati, then the Centre government cannot do anything.
It is not exactly known whether the Jagan government would be able to convince the present high court chief justice and judges on the shifting of the high court to Kurnool.
At present, the high court is hearing the petitions against three capitals formation. The main bench headed by new chief justice A K Goswami announced that it would begin fresh hearing on the cases from May 3.
“So, till the completion of the hearings and final judgement, the shifting of high court from Amaravati to Kurnool is highly unlikely,” sources said.