Hyderabad: Union law minister Ravi Shanker Prasad on Wednesday assured the Lok Sabha that he will make a statement on Thursday in the House on the issue of division of the Hyderabad High Court in order to create separate High Courts for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh as stated in Section 31 of the AP Reorganisation Act.
This assurance came after eight TRS MPs trooped into the well of the House, raising slogans and demanding division of the existing High Court in Hyderabad, a matter that has been pending for the last three and a half years.
Earlier in the day, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan had rejected the adj-ournment motion notice given by TRS members demanding immediate discussion on the issue. TRS MPs led by Nizam-abad MP Kalwakuntla Kavitha had rushed to the podium and shouted, “We want the High Court for Telangana!”
When Congress members raised other issues for discussion, the Speaker adjourned the House to noon. Even after the House reassembled, the TRS and the Congress continued their protest at the podium leading to pandemonium in the House.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar, making a brief mention, said he would bring the issue to the notice of the Union law minister (who was not present in the House then), and appealed to the TRS members to withdraw from the well.
When the MPs continued their protest and sloganeering and waved placards, the Speaker adjourned the House to 2 pm.
Mr Prasad was present when the House reassembled, and assured the agitating TRS MPs that he will make a statement on the issue on Thurs-day. TRS MPs then withdrew their protest and returned to their seats.
Speaking to mediapersons separately, TRS Lok Sabha leader A.P. Jitender Reddy and party MPs Kalwakuntla Kavitha, and B. Vinod Kumar said that the Centre is unnecessary dodging the issue and shirking its responsibility in implementing Section 31 of the Act that mandates division of the existing High Court among the two states to create two separate High Courts.
Mr Jitender Reddy said hitherto the Centre had been coming out with excuses such as the Andhra Pradesh government not providing space for buildings. Recently it said that it is for the Supreme Court to implement the provisions of the Act. This is just not acceptable, he said.
