BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao asked a question in Rajya Sabha about the status of the AP High Court shifting to Kurnool. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad gave his reply in which he said in so many words that the Centre had no role in this matter. He told Rajya Sabha that the maintenance and expenditure of the High Court were all borne by the State Government itself. Whereas, the administration of the High Court was solely looked after by the Chief Justice of AP.
Having said all these things, the Union Minister indicated that the High Court shifting would be possible only with a consensus between the AP Government and the Chief Justice of AP. There was also no time limit for this. From this, it was clear that the shifting of the High Court was not solely in the hands of the State Government. Hence, the so called decentralisation bill of the Jagan regime would not by itself stand a legal ground with regard to the High Court shifting.
When it comes to the High Court, the majority opinion among the judges and the advocates has been against shifting from the beginning. Now, the ball is back in the court of the High Court. The present Chief Justice would play a crucial role in this affair now. Even after change of the Chief Justice, there were many instances wherein the High Court was still passing orders against the Government’s decisions. It is highly likely that the Jagan regime would once again bring pressure on the president Chief Justice as well. Nothing can be ruled going by how things take curious twists in AP these days.
