Bifurcation of HC lies in SC’s domain: CM Naidu

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said here this evening that bifurcation of Hyderabad High Court fell in the apex court’s purview, and it was not right to create a controversy on it.

He was reacting to the ongoing agitation in Telangana by judicial officers and lawyers demanding the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad be bifurcated.

“It (division of High Court and its relocation) is in the Supreme Court’s purview. It is not right to create a controversy over it when the courts are seized of the matter,” Chandrababu remarked, when asked about his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao’s letter to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh demanding bifurcation of HC.

The High Court at Hyderabad is currently serving the two states jointly as per the AP Reorganisation Act-2014.

“We had foregone everything (following the bifurcation of the state). What’s the big issue in foregoing the High Court,” the AP Chief Minister said.

His government wanted to construct a new building for the High Court in Amaravati as an iconic structure, he said.

“It has to be designed. It is an iconic structure and we can’t do it just like that,” he added.

He also found fault with Rao’s demand the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi be handed over solely to the Telangana government.

“AP Bhavan has been built with the hard work of all. You can’t claim sole rights over it,” Naidu said.

–PTI