Will Rayalseema have the last laugh as Kurnool gets High Court?

Amaravati: Is Kurnool going to be the judicial capital of Andhra Pradesh? Highly placed sources of the state government say “Yes”. YSRCP government has been chanting “decentralisation” mantra, ever since it took the reins of the state. So, Kurnool gets High Court (HC) and Visakhapatnam gets High Court Bench. Thus the most backward regions Rayalseema and Uttharandhra will get their share in administration.

AP finance minister B Rajendra Reddy hinted that the government is considering setting up High Court in Rayalaseema region, a couple of weeks back. The statement has sparked a row in the remaining two areas of the state. Vijayawada advocates staged protests in front of the High Court in Vijayawada against the remarks of the finance minister. Advocates from North Coastal districts demanded to establish High Court at Visakhapatnam.

As the government is going to announce its decision shortly to make Kurnool as its judicial hub, advocates of Vijayawada intensified their agitation on Wednesday. They staged a dharna in front of the High Court demanding the withdrawal of the proposal to move it. On the other hand, the Kurnool bar association also escalated its protests to set up HC in their region. They demand that they should have high court as per the Sri Bagh agreement.

Andhra Pradesh government started HC in Vijayawada before the recently held assembly elections. Former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated the construction of a High Court complex as well. Everybody thought that HC would be there in Vijayawada. However, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s decision to change the location of HC came as a big surprise.

When contacted about shifting the Court to Rayalaseema, YSRCP MLA Ambati Rambabu told that the decision is yet to be taken. “There is Sri Bagh agreement. It should be taken in to account. The government will take a final call,” he concluded.

Telugu Desam MLA Payyavual Keshav demanded that HC should be established in Anantapur if the government decides to shift to Rayalaseema. “We won’t allow if it is set up in other districts,” he told NewsMeter.

Prasad Reddy, a senior political analyst, said that the government’s priority seems to be decentralisation. “It may set up HC in Kurnool and a Bench in Visakhapatnam. Amaravati may not be a megacity. Decentralisation and diversification are always good,” opined the senior analyst. It’s going to be good news for Kurnool people. At least Rayalaseema has a reason to smile.