AP must get new building before division of HC

Hyderabad: The High Court in Hyderabad on Friday made it clear that there would be no division of High Court till the construction of new building for Andhra Pradesh High Court in the residuary State is completed. Further, the building for AP High Court could not be constructed in Telangana State. Delivering its judgment on a petition on bifurcation of High Court, a two-judge bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyothi Sengupta and Justice P V Sanjay Kumar said that as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, the present High Court building would belong to the Telangana State.

The court said that the responsibility of construction of new High Court building for Andhra Pradesh lies with the Centre. Therefore, the Central Government should release funds for the purpose. The court said that the existing premises would be utilised jointly by Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Governments and if required, separate benches can be established.

The court also ruled that the Telangana Government was not empowered to establish separate High Court at a land near Gachibowli or any other place for the Telangana State. Meanwhile, the Joint Action Committee of lawyers from Telangana has decided to intensify their movement for separate high court. They are seeking early bifurcation of the existing high court so that the newly-created state gets its own.

Telangana Advocates' JAC argues that when two states can have separate legislatures and secretariats in Hyderabad, why cannot there be separate high courts. The Telangana state assembly in March had passed a resolution urging the central government to bifurcate the existing high court. Union Law Minister Sadananda Gowda had said recently that the steps for setting up a separate high court for Telangana will be initiated once the government of Telangana sends a proposal to the central government.