Andhra HC extends status quo on three capitals row till October 5

Amaravati, September 21

The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Monday further extended till October 5 the status quo on the two new laws that enable the establishment of three new capitals for the state.

A Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Chief Justice JK Maheshwari and justices AV Sesha Sai and M Satyanarayana Murthy, which further heard a batch of interlocutory applications filed by the Rajadhani Rythu Parirakshana Samiti and others, extended the status quo and posted the case to October 5 for the next hearing.

The extension of status quo puts paid to the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy governments hopes of expediting the process for shifting the state’s Executive Capital to Visakhapatnam.

The Supreme Court had refused to grant any relief to the state government on the High Court’s earlier orders in the matter.

The Court granted a week’s time to the state Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney to file a counter affidavit in a contempt case related to the issue.

A contempt petition was filed alleging that the state government was going ahead with the construction of a guesthouse at Kapuluppada village near Visakhapatnam.

As the guesthouse construction was also a part of the move to locate the Executive Capital in Visakhapatnam, the petitioner contended that it amounted to violation of the status quo ordered by the High Court.

The Bench on August 27 directed the state Chief Secretary to file a counter to this by September 10 but the government on Monday sought more time for this. —PTI