The Supreme Court of India rejected the Jaganmohan Reddy Government’s plea for quashing the stay orders issued by the AP High Court on the proposal to give Amaravati Capital City lands as house sites to the poor families. The Apex Court told the AP Government to settle the matter in the High Court itself as it issued stay orders based on the prima facie evidence available. The Supreme Court dismissed the YSRCP Government’s petition and it upheld the High Court’s order categorically considering the merits of the case.

Amaravati JAC leaders welcomed the order of the Apex Court, saying that justice was on the side of the farmers who sacrificed their ancestral lands. It may be recalled that the AP Government issued GO No 107 allocating thousands of house site plots to poor families in the 34,000 acres lands. The farmers gave these lands for construction of Amaravati as a global city so that their future generations would have brighter opportunities. If the lands were given as house sites to the poor, the property values would not increase. The farmers would end up losing both their agricultural lands as well as their sources of income if no city is developed in their place. CM Jagan Reddy’s plan was to give house sites to poor people of Vijayawada, Mangalagiri and nearby towns in the lands that were originally meant for Capital Construction.

Also, the Supreme Court postponed the hearing on 3 Capitals petition by the AP Government for Wednesday. The High Court has issued status quo on Capital shifting considering the serious constitutional violations involved in this. The status quo will be effective till August 27. Already, this was extended once. With the Government sticking to its plan, the Amaravati JAC and farmers were also waging a relentless battle. Various Opposition parties have also filed petitions against the Government’s trifurcation of AP Capital.