The Supreme Court has been approached by the State of Andhra Pradesh with a petition to seek division of assets and liabilities between Andhra Pradesh and the State of Telangana.
The State has moved the Court as parens patriae for representation the cause of its people as well as its own rights, along with the rights under Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution of India for seeking division of assets and liabilities of the State of Andhra Pradesh between the two newly formed States.
The plea was filed through Advocate Mahfooz A Nazki who said that although the states were made in June 2014, the apportionment of assets and liabilities having been made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, the actual division of assets has not even commenced till date.
The plea claims that the assets and liabilities of not a single Institution specified in Schedule – IX (91 institutions) and Schedule – X (142 institutions) have been apportioned between the States.
The plea also contends that non-division of the assets, valued at ₹1,42,601 crore, is clearly to the benefit of Telangana, since about 91% of these assets are situated in Hyderabad, the capital of the erstwhile combined State, which is now in Telangana.
The plea mentioned that resources of erstwhile State were invested in infrastructure in and around Hyderabad, owing to the capital-centric development model.
The plea also said that due to the non-apportionment of the assets,many issues have cropped up according to the fundamental and other constitutional rights of the people of the State of Andhra Pradesh, including the employees of the institutions in question.
The plea said that the employees working in these institutions have been in a limbo since 2014 solely because there has been no proper division. The position of pensionable employees who have retired post bifurcation is pitiable and many of them have not received terminal benefits. It is therefore imperative that all these Assets be divided at the earliest and a quietus be put to the issue,”
The State of Andhra Pradesh has thus sought a declaration from the Court that inaction by Telangana was violative of the fundamental rights of its people an.
The state has also asked for necessary directions to ensure speedy bifurcation of assets between the States.