Legal luminaries in T battle

Hyderabad: The fate of a bunch of petitions filed in the Supreme Court challenging the decision of the Centre to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh to create Telangana state would be decided on Monday. Hearing on the admissibility of the petitions has been posted for the day. After the Centre endorsed the formation of Telangana, YSR Congress and TDP approached the apex court against the Congress led UPA’s unilateral decision to bifurcate the state.

YSR Congress party leaders DA Somayajulu and Raghurama Krishnam Raju and TDP MP CM Ramesh and party senior leader P Keshav filed petitions challenging the creation of Telangana state, the status of Article 371 (D) , the powers of parliament on dividing the state without a resolution from the concerned state Assembly etc. Considering the importance of the issue as the Centre was moving fast to approve the T Bill in the ensuing Winter session, the four petitions have been clubbed together by the Court Registry and posted hearing before a bench headed by Justice JL Dattu.

The petitioners hired legal luminaries -- Harish Salve, Soli Sorabjee, Ashok Desai, FS Nariman and retired Chief Justice M N Rao to argue the case in the court. Attorney-General of India G. Vahanavati and Solicitor-General Mohan Parasaran would appear for the Union government. A few Constitutional experts would also be part of the legal teams.

Legal experts said that it would be one of the rarest cases being argued by the topmost lawyers in the country.

The TDP and YSRCP leaders were of the view that if the court admits the petitions, the ongoing process for the bifurcation of state would be stalled immediately .