The Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates Association in Hyderabad on Monday moved a petition in the Supreme Court to defer the implementation of a notification, issued on December 26, bifurcating the Hyderabad High Court into the new Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Courts.
From January 1
As per the notification, the two separate high courts have to start functioning from January 1.
The petition is likely to be listed for hearing before the Supreme Court on January 2.
The petition urged the court to delay the bifurcation till the new premises for the Andhra High Court in the capital city of Amaravati is completed.
The High Court is now set to function from temporary premises till the construction work is over.
The petition sought urgent orders and said the plea would be rendered infructuous if the two high courts were allowed to function from January 1.
‘Judges satisfied’
The petition comes despite the fact that Andhra had informed the Supreme Court that the judges, who would preside over the courtrooms of the new high court, were satisfied with the facilities in an interim building complex which would house the high court till a permanent building was constructed.
The State government had submitted that a Full Court of the High Court approved the proposal after the inspection committee of judges submitted a report.
Senior advocate Fali Nariman for Andhra Pradesh had also made a statement that the government would be hiring villas to take care of the residential needs of the judges at Amaravati.
The court had taken on record the submissions made by the Andhra government that a “very big complex known as 'Justice City' is under construction” in Amaravati.
This complex would house the high court, subordinate courts and even some tribunals. It would also have a provision for construction of residential complex for the high court and lower courts’ judges.
The interim building for the Andhra Pradesh High Court, the apex court recorded, is only an “ad hoc arrangement till the Justice City gets completely constructed”.