The three-capitals plan of AP CM Y S Jagan is caught in legal wrangle with filing of over 90 petitions in the state high court challenging the shifting of capital city from Amaravati.
Now, the time has come for disposal of all these petitions, as the state high court is all set to commence hearing on these petitions on a day-to-day basis from Monday, following a direction from the Supreme Court.
While the state government has engaged toughest of lawyers from the Supreme Court, the petitioners – mostly rich farmers belonging to Amaravati, too, have hired legal luminaries from high court and Supreme Court.
The legal battle is going to be very interesting, as some of these lawyers arguing on both the sides include sons and daughters of prominent Supreme Court judges, who have been hired at a very exorbitant fee.
The state government has been arguing that the courts cannot interfere in the three capitals plan, as it was approved by the state legislature through passage of legislations and the gazette notification was issued after the Governor gave his assent to the legislations.
Even the Central government has made it clear to the high court that it has no role whatsoever to play in the location of the capital and that there was nothing in the AP Reorganisation Act that prevents the Jagan government to form three capitals.
The farmers, however, are arguing that the bills were not passed by the legislature through a Constitutional process. The high court will take a look into arguments from both the sides.
If the high court can dispose of the petitions at the earliest by conducting daily hearings, there is every possibility that the Jagan government can expect a judgement in a month or two.
