Andhra court dismisses capital petitions as Amaravati gains legal status

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has effectively closed the door on pending petitions challenging the state's three-capitals arrangement, now that Amaravati has been formally designated as the capital by law. Chief Justice Lisa Gill's bench posted the pending cases for hearing on November 20, with the observation that the legal disputes have become infructuous given Amaravati's statutory status.

The move sets the stage for a likely Supreme Court hearing on November 29, where appeals against the apex court's landmark 2022 judgment on the Amaravati issue are expected to be taken up. That earlier ruling had addressed the constitutional validity of the three-capitals proposal, which sought to establish Amaravati as the capital, while maintaining legislative functions in Visakhapatnam and judicial functions in Kurnool.

The High Court's position signals that with Amaravati now formally enshrined as the capital through legislation, the grounds for challenging the three-capitals structure may have substantially weakened. However, the Supreme Court's involvement suggests broader constitutional questions remain to be resolved, potentially concerning the implementation and legality of dividing state functions across multiple cities.

Andhra Pradesh's three-capitals plan has been among the most contentious governance issues since the state's bifurcation in 2014. The High Court's current ruling reflects the legal complexities of resolving infrastructure and administrative disputes once legislative action has been taken, leaving the final determination to India's apex court.