Supreme Court refuses stay on AP villages merger orders

New Delhi/Vijayawada: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to grant an interim stay on Andhra Pradesh government orders merging certain villages with municipalities, while issuing notices to the state government on petitions challenging the move. A Bench comprising Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe heard the petitions filed by Eddula Subba Reddy and Valleppalli Venkata Subrahmanyam. Senior advocate Ramakrishna Prasad appeared for the petitioners, while solicitor general Tushar Mehta represented the Andhra Pradesh government.

The petitioners alleged that the government had unilaterally issued orders merging villages with municipalities without following the prescribed legal procedures. They contended that the resolutions of the respective gram panchayats and the consent of villagers had not been obtained before the merger.

They further argued that the move could deprive rural residents of benefits under welfare schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and undermine local self-governance. The state government, however, maintained that the merger process had been undertaken in accordance with the law to facilitate urban expansion and accelerate development based on population growth. The dispute had earlier been heard by the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which ruled in favour of the state government. Challenging the decision, the petitioners approached the Supreme Court.

While refusing to stay the government orders or grant interim relief, the apex court made it clear that the merger process would remain subject to its final verdict.

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The Hans India