No proposal pending on shifting of AP HC to Kurnool: Centre

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday reiterated that there was no proposal pending with regard to the shifting of the Andhra Pradesh High Court from Amaravati to Kurnool.

The Union government's clarification on this contentious issue came in the form of a written reply given by Union Law Minister Kiran Rejiju in Rajya Sabha. The minister was responding to a question raised by TDP member Kanakamedala Ravindra Kumar.

This has effectively ruled out the prospect of the much talked-about transfer of high court to Kurnool, as things stand till now. The YSRCP government led by Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy made a proposal to this effect to fulfill one of its poll promises given before the 2019 elections. Acknowledging this, Kiran Rejiju said that the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister came up with a proposal to shift the high court to Kurnool in February 2020. The AP High Court main bench was set up as per the guidelines incorporated in the state reorganisation act.

He said that the State government would take a decision in consultation with the AP High Court. "The State government should come up with a comprehensive proposal for shifting the existing high court to Kurnool. Both the high court and the AP government should submit their views to the Centre in this regard," the Union Law Minister maintained.

Responding to a supplementary question, Kiran Rejiju also clarified that it was the responsibility of the State government to bear the expenditure from the functioning of the high court.