The State government on Saturday filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, challenging the AP High Court judgment on Amaravati capital and the decentralisation of governance.

The AP High Court on March 2, 2022, had ruled that the state had no legislative powers to change the capital once it is fixed and had asked the state government to develop the capital in six months.

The State Assembly had discussed the observations of the high court judgement during the budget session. YSR Congress MP, V Vijayasai Reddy too had filed a private member bill in the Rajya Sabha recently seeking Parliament’s clarity on the observations of the high court.

The AP Assembly once again had a detailed discussion in the current session on September 15 on the three capitals plan and the decentralisation of administration.

Now, the SLP also questioned the constitutional validity of the high court in saying that the state has no legislative power to alter the capital. The state government felt that the observation was against the spirit of the constitution which directed the three organs of the government to respect each other.

The state government also questioned the intervention of the court on the matter, though the state government withdrew the decentralisation bills in the Assembly and took strong exception to the high court giving its judgment even before the new Acts were made.

The SLP is likely to come up for consideration and hearing on Monday, when the Supreme Court meets after the week-end break.