The Andhra Pradesh High Court has directed the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government to maintain status quo with regard to Amaravati as the capital city of Andhra Pradesh.

Dealing with a petition filed by Rajadhani Rythu Parirakshana Samithi, a committee of farmers to protect the capital, the High Court on Tuesday stayed the notifications issued by the State government on the formation of three capitals for the State till August 14.

A three-member Division Bench of the High Court ordered a stay on the implementation of the gazette notifications paving the way for three capitals and directed the State government to file a counter within 10 days.

In its order, the Bench ordered that the State to maintain status quo with regard to Amaravati as the capital city and not to proceed with any moves on the shifting of executive capital from Amaravati to Visakhapatnam.

After recent assent by Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan for two capital city related Bills, the State government had issued notices relating to abolition of the Capital Region Development Authority and on the formation of three capitals for the State with the executive capital planned at the port city of Visakhapatnam, judicial capital at Kurnool and legislative capital at Amaravati.

The farmers in the Amaravati area who had surrendered their lands under the land pooling initiative during the N Chandrababu Naidu regime challenged these notifications in the High Court. Ordering status quo be maintained on the gazette notifications, the Bench directed the State Advocate General to file counter within 10 days.

The farmers contended they will be put to hardship as all their hopes of getting benefits from the land pooling would not be achieved if Amaravati does not continue as the sole State capital.

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