United Andhra Pradesh may take legal route

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Hyderabad: Taking a cue from earlier Supreme Court orders, some staunch proponents of United Andhra Pradesh are exploring the legal route to stall the bifurcation of the state. According to sources, a few leaders have flown to Delhi to seek advice from Constitutional experts on proceeding legally against the decision to divide the state.
They have obtained copies of a judgement delivered by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court on August 20, 2010, which dealt with the issue. The bench at that time had felt that it was inappropriate to intervene. However, the bench had given freedom to the petitioners to file fresh petitions “at an appropriate stage”.
Petitioners can move Supreme Court again
Exploring legal options to stall the bifurcation of the state, a source said, “We want to proceed legally after the Union home ministry or the Union Cabinet initiates ‘appropriate’ steps to carve out Telangana as decided by the Congress Working Committee on July 30.”
On August 20, 2010, the Supreme Court dismissed two public interest litigations opposing the creation of a new state of Telangana, saying that the stage has not come for judicial intervention as the matter, at that time, was political and the decision should be left to political entities.
“We are of the view that at this stage that the larger constitutional view does not arise. These are political questions. As and when such law (for creation of new state) is passed, we will consider at that stage,” a bench consisting of then Chief Justice S.H. Kapadia and Justices Aftab Alam and K.S. Radhakrishnan had said.
The bench, however, gave liberty to petitioners Bondada Purushottam Yadav and K. Srinivas Reddy to “file fresh petitions at an appropriate stage”. They had filed the PILs after Union home minister P. Chidambaram’s pronouncement in December 2009 that the Centre has set in motion the process for the creation of Telangana.