Hyderabad, Dec 30:
The proposal to shift Telangana High Court from the old city of Hyderabad is facing opposition from different quarters as this is the only major institution left in this part of the city.
A section of lawyers is also opposing the move to shift the High Court to Badvel on the city outskirts, saying this will cause inconvenience to them and to the people.
The High Court has been functioning from the iconic building on the banks of Musi River and the location is also accessible to people residing in both the old city and also in areas on the other side of the Musi River, usually referred to as new city.
The shifting of High Court will also affect the business in the old city. Many hotels and shops at Madine Circle and on High Court Road get most of their business from hundreds of people who come to the court every day.
The proposal to shift the High Court was first mooted in 2009 when a huge fire accident had occurred at the present building. In 2018, the shifting proposal was revived to facilitate bifurcation of the then common High Court for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The proposal was revived again in 2019 but it faced opposition from a section of lawyers. They formed Telangana High Court Parirakshana Samithi to oppose the proposal.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) also strongly opposed the proposal. The then government had clarified in Assembly that there is no proposal to shift the High Court.
However, the proposal was revived recently with the change of government.
A week after assuming office, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced that a new building of Telangana High Court will be constructed on 100 acres of land at Badvel.
He directed the officials concerned on Thursday to make required arrangements to lay the foundation stone in January.
Chief Justice of Telangana High Court Justice Alok Aradhe and lawyers brought to the notice of the Chief Minister the necessity of constructing a new building in view of the dilapidation of the existing High Court building. They requested the CM to grant adequate funds for the construction of a new High Court on a sprawling 100 acres.
The CM responded positively and ordered the officials to make necessary arrangements.
Since the present High Court building is listed as a heritage structure, the CM said there is a need to preserve the building. He assured that the existing building will be renovated and used for city court or other court buildings.
However, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has found fault with the decision to shift Telangana High Court from the old city.
Stating that the old city is the original Hyderabad, he suggested that Chanchalguda Jail be shifted to the outskirts of Hyderabad and its land be used for a new building of the High Court.
He also suggested that the Central Armed Reserve must be shifted out of Petlaburj and the land must be used for a KG to PG campus.
If the Chief Minister wants development of the old city, why does he want to shift the High Court out of the old city, he asked.
“Over the decades, every institution of importance has been shifted out of original Hyderabad. Does the CM want to make original Hyderabad a barren area that is no longer part of the capital city,” he asked.
Nizam VII Mir Osman Ali Khan Bahadur inaugurated the present building of the High Court on April 20, 1920. Photo: The Hyderabad Digest
The present building of the High Court was built in 1919. It was on April 20, 1920 that the building was inaugurated by the Seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan.
It was then set up as High Court of Hyderabad for the then princely State of Hyderabad with six judges. The language of the High Court was Persian till the end of 1883. In January 1884, Urdu replaced Persian.
After Hyderabad State acceded to the Indian Union in 1948, many changes were brought in its functioning and English replaced Urdu.
After the formation of Andhra Pradesh with the merger of Hyderabad State with Andhra in 1956, the High Court was later renamed as High Court of Andhra Pradesh.
It served as the High Court of the united State of Andhra Pradesh from 1956 to 2014. After bifurcation of the State of Andhra Pradesh, High Court was then renamed as High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for the State of Telangana and the State of Andhra Pradesh and served as a common High Court for both the states.
The bifurcation and constitution of separate High Courts for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh came into effect from 1st January, 2019.