The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a batch of writ petitions challenging the Union Cabinet’s decision to create a new Telangana State bifurcating Andhra Pradesh.
A bench of Justices H.L. Dattu and Madan B. Lokur, after hearing senior counsel Fali Nariman, senior counsel Harish Salve, senior counsel Rohinton Nariman for the petitioners, K. Raghu Ramakrishnan Raju, Payyavulla Keshav, D.A. Somayajulu, K. Prabhakar Raju and N. Ramakrishna, however, allowed them to file fresh petitions once the Bill for the formation of the new State was introduced in Parliament.
The Bench made it clear that all legal issues raised in these petitions could be raised by the petitioners in the appropriate petitions at the appropriate stage.
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Mr. Nariman argued that the process of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh was unconstitutional, violating the principle of federalism, a basic feature of the Constitution.
Justice Dattu told the counsel, “It is premature. After the Cabinet decision, a Bill has to be introduced and the matter has to go to Parliament.”