The AP high court on Tuesday dismissed the petition filed by DGP K V Rajendranath Reddy to cancel the Amaravati farmers padayatra. The court also dismissed the petition filed by the Amaravati Farmers Joint Action Committee to give relaxation to the HC’s earlier order.

The court said that it would not make any alterations to the earlier orders issued by the bench while giving permission for the padayatra. The court said it would not allow others to join the padayatra. It wanted the 600 farmers to participate in the yatra and show the identification cards whenever asked by the police.

The court also observed that those who are supporting the yatra could do so by standing on both sides of the roads. The court further observed that there are several other forms to express solidarity to the Amaravati yatra.

The court had strictly warned the farmers against using more than four vehicles in the padayatra to carry infrastructure to those who are walking. The court said it would not allow more vehicles in the padayatra as requested by the joint action committee.

The court also dismissed the petition filed by the DGP who complained to the court that the participants were throwing open challenges to the supporters of the three capitals. They were also making provocative statements against the government, the DGP complained in his petition.

The court had told the DGP to come back to the court whenever the participants were found violating the guidelines of the high court.

The Andhra Pradesh high court on Friday reserved its judgment on the Amaravati padayatra to Arasavilli in Srikakulam. The padayatra was stopped in Ramachandrapuram of Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema district last week, as the police insisted upon those who have identification cards only to participate in the padayatra.

The farmers have filed a petition in the high court seeking relaxation from the rules, while the State government filed a petition seeking cancellation of permission for the padayatra.

The court heard the case on both sides on Thursday and Friday.

The advocates for the Amaravati activists alleged that the police were harassing them in the name of identification cards and were not allowing the supporters to join the padayatra. The Amaravati activists also alleged that the ruling YSR Congress activists and leaders were also causing troubles for them by organising counter rallies in the state.

On the other hand, the government argued for cancellation of the padayatra. The Advocate General told the court that the activists of the TDP and Jana Sena, in the name of Amaravati farmers, were making allegations against the ruling party and the government. The advocate general also told the court that the activists were challenging the ruling party leaders and making political statements.

Though the court had told the Amaravati Joint Action Committee leaders not to make political statements during the padayatra, the advocate general informed the court that everyday they were making only political statements and asking people to vote against the YSR Congress.

The advocate general also informed the court that the people of the state were also asking for decentralisation of capital and Uttarandhra people were fighting for declaration of Visakhapatnam as the executive capital.

This would create a law-and-order problem if the Amaravati activists entered Visakhapatnam with Amaravati as the only capital of the state, while the people of Visakhapatnam were fighting for executive capital.

The court, after hearing the arguments from both sides on Friday, reserved the judgment.

The Andhra Pradesh high court had posted the petitions on Amaravati padayatra to October 28. As the petitions came up for hearing on Thursday, the court asked both the Amaravati Joint Action Committee and the state government to file fresh petitions by Friday.

The farmers alleged that the police were creating trouble for them in the name of checking identification cards. The advocates for the Amaravati activists told the court that the police were disturbing the activists even at the lunch and night camps.

The advocates told the court that it was not possible for all the 600 activists to continuously follow in the padayatra. It was also not possible to drop the supporters from the yatra in every village. The advocates told the court that those supporting the Amaravati issue were joining the padayatra in their respective areas.

The government filed a petition requesting the court to cancel the permission given to them earlier for the padayatra as the participants have violated the conditions. The government also told the court that the participants of the yatra were throwing challenges to the politicians and the supporters of the decentralisation.

The government also expressed fears that the yatra would create law and order problems in the state once the participants reach Visakhapatnam, which is proposed as the executive capital of the state. The residents of Uttrandhra region have already formed a joint action committee seeking Visakhapatnam to be declared as the executive capital of the state.

The advocates for the Amaravati JAC told the court that 600 people participating in the padayatra continuously is not possible and requested the court to give relaxation. They have also argued that the supporters of the Amaravati be allowed in every village and town along the route.

The court, on hearing both sides, directed both the parties to file clear affidavits by Friday.

Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday asked the state government to file its response on the Amaravati farmers’ padayatra. The court took up hearing on the farmers’ petition which alleged that the ruling YSR Congress leaders and the state government were creating problems for them to proceed further in the yatra.

The court asked the state government what problems that it found with the padayatra of the farmers.

The government told the court that though the court permitted only 600 farmers to participate in the padayatra, there were more people added to the yatra. The advocate for the farmers told the court that people in the neighbouring villages were joining them extending support to them. Their supporters were joining the yatra in every village, the advocate said.

The court asked the state government to give its reply to the petition and posted the case for hearing on Friday. The court also wanted the farmers to file a clear reply to the court on the padayatra and the number of people participating in the padayatra.

The court wanted the state government to ensure that the padayatra is conducted peacefully. The court said that it would not accept any violations of the orders issued by the court earlier.

The padayatra is facing opposition from the supporters of the three capitals. The supporters were holding black flags and releasing black balloons to the Amaravati farmers and in support of three capitals.

The ruling YSR Congress had also sponsored a joint action committee to take forward the three capitals issue. The JAC had already held a massive rally in Visakhapatnam in support of three capitals, particularly the declaration of Visakhapatnam as the executive capitals.

The Andhra Pradesh high court had given conditional permission to the Amaravati farmers’ proposed padayatra from September 12. The high court issued the permission though the AP police have denied.

The high court had asked the joint action committee of the farmers to give the identification cards and the phone numbers of the representatives to be participating in the padayatra. The court also directed the farmers to strictly follow the directions issued by the police from time to time.

The high court also asked the farmers to apply for permission for the public meeting at the end of the padayatra. The court had directed the farmers, represented by Gadde Tirupathi Rao, to give details of the speakers at the public meeting, to the police for security and other purposes.

Earlier, DGP K V Rajendranath Reddy wrote a letter to the joint action committee denying permission for the padayatra to be held from Amaravati to Arasavalli in Srikakulam district. The padayatra is planned to mark the 1000 days of the agitation by the farmers against the three capitals proposed by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government.

The DGP said that the padayatra might lead to law and order problems in the state, particularly along the route as there are people who support the three capitals plan of the government. The DGP expressed fear that the padayatra might cause law and order problems when it reaches Visakhapatnam, which was proposed as the administrative capital of the state.

Meanwhile, all opposition parties in the state have extended support to the proposed padayatra of the Amaravati farmers. The BJP, TDP and the Jana Sena are likely to join the padayatra, while the Congress and the Left parties are likely to extend support to the farmers.