Hyderabad: The efforts of Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan, to bring about truce between AP and TS regarding the bifurcation of the Hyderabad HC, didn’t have the desired effect with AP Chief Minister Chandra-babu Naidu taking a tough stand.
Mr Naidu has reportedly told the Governor that there are several other major issues between AP and TS, like division of assets of organisations listed in Schedules 9 and 10 of the AP Reorganisation Act, Krishna River water sharing and Power department employees’ division, which have to be solved with equal priority.
With no facilities available for judges in Amaravati at present, the AP government has expressed its inability to set up a separate High Court, citing lack of funds.
Mr Narasimhan visited Vijayawada on Wednesday and Thursday as Union home minister Rajnath Singh had suggested that he bring both AP and TS to the table and solve the issue.
Mr Narasimhan put forth Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandra-sekhar Rao’s proposals that a separate building would be provided for the AP High Court in Hyderabad.
Sources said that Mr Naidu informed Mr Narasimhan about the judgement given by the division Bench led by the then Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta in 2015 regarding a PIL filed on HC bifurcation. The Bench had said that it was hoping that the Centre would release funds for construction of the HC as promised in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014.
The Bench had given six months to AP to identify the location of the High Court, and as per the Master Plan, it has already been demarcated. However, the Centre is yet to release funds.The Governor told Mr Naidu that both states should follow a give and take policy to solve disputes.
Sources said that the Raj Bhavan was hopeful of the two CMs meeting to discuss the issues sooner or later. A top official in Mr Naidu’s camp said, “Without solving other issues, HC bifurcation is difficult. AP wants all issues to be tackled together with the same priority.
IAS officials are also facing difficulties and employees are slowly settling in, thus at this point of time it is an unjust move to pressurise judicial officers and other employees of HC to shift.”
