Lawyers oppose common court

Hyderabad: The issue of having a common High Court for Seemandhra and Telangana is likely to lead to another series of agitations by Telangana and Seemandhra advocates.

Lawyers from both the regions have been opposing the common court proposal by the Centre as the AP State Re-Organisation Bill -2013 has indicated that the existing High Court would be the common court for both the states till the establishment of a new state High Court for the residuary state.

The judges of the existing High Court will become judges of the common High Court as soon as the Bill came into force. The expenditure for salaries and allowances of the common High Court shall be divided among both the state.

The principal seat of the Andhra Pradesh HC shall be at the place notified by the President. A separate bar council for Telangana will be constituted and lawyers desirous of enrolling in the new council can do so within a year from the date of the constitution of the council.

After the constitution of a new High Court for the residuary state, the cases pending before the common High Court will be divided based on origin and place of litigation.

According to jurists, about 95 per cent of the cases can be allocated easily while it might be difficult to transfer cases where partition of properties is involved in both the states. It has to be decided by both the Chief Justices after due consultations.

Meanwhile, the Telangana HC Advocates’ Association has announced that the proposal of the common high court would be resisted tooth and nail.

According to S. Satyam Reddy, chairman of the Telangana Advocates’ JAC, they will not allow the continuation of the existing High Court as a common High Court for both the states.
The JAC has already represented to the chairman of the Group of Ministers for a separate High Court for Telangana.

Also, D.S.N.V. Prasad Babu, co-convener of Seemandhra Advocates Joint Action Committee, said that the proposal for a common High Court was a meaningless one.