AG pleads for bifurcation of judiciary between TS, AP

Hyderabad: A Public Interest Litigation seeking bifurcation of judiciary came up for hearing on Wednesday before the Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Dilip B Bhosale and Justice S V Bhatt.

During the course of hearing of the PIL filed by senior advocate S Satyam Reddy and three others, the Telangana State Advocate General K Ramakrishna Reddy made an impassioned plea before the Bench. “This is our court, Please recognise our State.”

The petitions sought distribution of subordinate judicial officers and other judicial employees to both the states and only thereafter make recruitments to the judicial services. It was pointed out that every other service in the State had been bifurcated except judiciary.

The Acting Chief Justice remarked that an exercise to bifurcate judiciary was undertaken but had to be stopped due to Supreme Court order to maintain status quo. That order was vacated in December and within three days the process had been resumed.

The Telangana AG said he had supported the petitions and sought enforcement of Telangana State Judicial Services rules in the State. Recruitments initiated in 2014 must also be through these rules only, he asserted.

Satyam Reddy expressed apprehension that Telangana State government may not give appointment orders to judges recruited before bifurcation and it may create problems in future. The Bench observed that the High Court is also equally interested in bifurcation of lower judiciary expeditiously.

Telangana State AG and senior counsels in the petitions took objection to the Andhra Pradesh Advocate General P Venugopal representing High Court in this matter. The Bench left the decision to Mr Venugopal who announced that he would not continue and the Court may appoint an amicus curaie.