'Can court be a town planner’, Supreme Court on Andhra High Court order for Amaravati as state capital

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Andhra Pradesh High Court's order for developing Amaravati as the only capital of the state, saying courts can't act as a town planner.

The top court issued notice to the Centre and farmers and their associations on a plea by Andhra Pradesh government against the high court order.

A bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna stayed the high court's direction to the state government to construct and develop the Amaravati capital city and capital region of the state within six months.

Senior advocate K K Venugopal on behalf of the state government submitted that the state has already repealed the law for having three different capitals of the state.

"What kind of directions have been passed by the high court? Can the court be a town planner," the bench asked saying the court wanted the planning to be done in two months.

The bench further asked how the court could bind a sovereign state that it has to develop a particular area.

The high court had also noted the state and the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) violated the fundamental rights of the petitioners (farmers), as they surrendered their only source of livelihood of over 33,000 acres of fertile land.

The bench said it needs to examine the matter in detail and fixed the petitions filed by state government, farmers, associations and their committees for further hearing on January 31.