Andhra Pradesh lawyers oppose High Court in Hyderabad

Rajahmundry: AP lawyers alleged that their counterparts settled in Hyderabad and Telangana advocates had hatched a plot to exert pressure on the Centre and the state government to set up a separate High Court for AP in Hyderabad, even as the existing High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for the states of Telangana and AP will be allotted to TS and is already located in Hyderabad.

The petitioners hailing from AP have to go to Hyderabad and engage local lawyers to plead on behalf of them by paying hefty fee to the lawyers. Moreover, petitioners from AP districts going to Hyderabad for filing cases and to attend hearings, have to incur expenditure for lodging and other things.

They feel that if HC is located in AP, local lawyers will take up the cases readily. Besides, people can easily reach the HC and need not spend money for accommodation and other things. This will also help funds starved AP to rake in some moolah in the form of taxes and by other means.

Referring to Sections 30 and 31 of AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the lawyers say that separate HCs for both AP and TS should be set up and the principal seat of AP HC should be located in AP districts and any other judicial body of AP HC can be set up in any part of AP with the Governor’s approval. The lawyers say that judges in existing Hyderabad HC should be allocated to both AP and TS in 60:40 ratio and maintain that such an allocation of judges has not yet taken place so far.

With regard to AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 Section 94 Sub Clause III, the lawyers say that the Centre should fund AP for setting up a new capital, Raj Bhavan, High Court and other requisite infrastructure.

Lawyers demanded the state government to notify a place along with survey numbers, where AP HC could be set up immediately and said that it cost nearly Rs 200 crore to set up HC and provide infrastructure like quarters to judges, a library and other paraphernalia.