SC rejects plea to restrain Centre on Telangana

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a plea to restrain Centre from carving out a separate Telanganga state saying it was “too premature” but sought response from the AP government over concerns that normal life has been paralysed due to the agitation.“A commission (Justice Srikrishna) has been appointed. The Central government has not taken a decision. How can we prevent the Union of India from taking a decision. Your prayer is premature,” the court observed.Besides issuing notices to the state government, a bench comprising justices G S Singhvi and S Mukhopadhaya also sought replies from the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, the Registrar General of the AP High Court and the State Bar Council on a petition contending that normal activities and administration in the state have been paralysed for the last one year due to the agitation for a separate state of Telangana.The apex court however, turned down advocate P V Krishnaiah’s plea seeking the court’s direction to the Centre to restrain it from carving a new state out of Andhra Pradesh.Krishnaiah, who moved the PIL, had contended that the power to carve out a separate state under the Article 3 of the Constitution is vested with the Parliament and that the same cannot be done without amending Article 371-D which granted certain benefits of reservation in employment, education and other benefits to the local people.The apex court, however, wondered whether “extrajudicial forces” could bring normal life and court proceedings to a halt as part of the agitation.“We would like to examine whether governance can be brought to a halt by extra-judicial forces. Is it open to the bar council and advocates to disrupt the proceedings of the court?” the bench queried.Krishnaiah further stated the agitation has, apart from totally paralysing the normal life, also severely affected the courts’ functioning except the High Court and many state government employees, had joined the stir.The public interest litigation further said that the stir in the form of rasta roko, rail roko and disruption of normal work at the public sector Singareni Collieries Limited in Godavarikhani and Ramagundam is causing colossal loss of public money besides violating fundamental rights of the citizens.