The Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government in Andhra Pradesh has decided not to make any changes in the decision taken by the previous YSR Congress party government to establish key legal institutions in Kurnool, which was designated as judicial capital in the past.
The state government submitted an affidavit in the state high court that it would not disturb the important establishments including the Waqf Tribunal, Lokayukta, and Human Rights Commission (HRC) presently functioning from Kurnool.
The clarification came during the hearing of a PIL seeking relocation of the Waqf Tribunal to Amaravati.
The petitioner had argued that most minority institutions were based in Vijayawada and that shifting the tribunal would improve administrative efficiency.
However, the government contended that a majority of Waqf-related cases originate from Kurnool and surrounding districts, making it a suitable location.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur and Justice Challa Gunaranjan dismissed the petition, observing that retaining the tribunal in Kurnool was justified.
The government also informed the court that it intends to continue both the Lokayukta and HRC offices in Kurnool. It added that staff bifurcation between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the HRC is still pending.
The court recorded the submissions and adjourned further hearing in related petitions. The issue of establishing a High Court bench in Kurnool has also resurfaced in recent discussions.
