Sushree Mohanty
Responding to a series of inquiries posed by BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao in Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the decision of the Andhra Pradesh Government and High Court will be considered final for the proposal of shifting the High Court to Kurnool.
The Minister of Law and Justice, Ravi Shankar Prasad further added that the Andhra Pradesh Government and the Hon’ble High court must reach a consensus and submit their opinion on Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s proposal made in February last year to move the chief seat of High Court to the proposed judicial city of Kurnool otherwise referred to as the Gateway of Rayalaseema.
In a written response to MP G.V.L. Narasimha Rao’s inquiry of whether there was a proposition to move the chief seat to Rayalaseema and if the proposal is acknowledged by the Central government and if the Ministry of Law and Justice will now perceive Kurnool as the Legal Capital of A.P. in the event that the High Court was established there, Mr. Prasad answered that there was in fact a proposal and discussion to move the High Court out of Amaravati, but there is no decision for setting up Benches in other different cities.
He further added that said the decision to move the chief seat is to be discussed by the State government in a meeting with the consultation of the court and there is no deadline for the move since the matter is currently lying in sub-judice before the courts.
Making a key statement, the Hon’ble Minister added that administration and expenditure cost shall be borne by the state government of Andhra Pradesh and opined that the administrative responsibilities and obligations of the High Court will be conferred upon the Chief Justice.
The present Andhra Pradesh High Court with its principal seat in Amaravati had been set up under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, and came into functioning on January 1, 2019.
Chief Minister YS Jagan had put forward a proposal to shift the High Court to Kurnool and steps were taken to move the capital, however, the work was put on hold following numerous petitions being filed in court objecting to such a move.