The Andhra Pradesh High Court has issued an interim stay on the demolition notices issued to 10 offices of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), located across the state, Live Law reported.
After the new TDP government came into power, the Municipal Corporations of Kadapa, Guntur, Rajeshwari Nagar, Nellore, Rajamahendravaram, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Anantapur, and Kurnool districts issued notices on June 24, warning demolition of semi-constructed party offices, citing irregularities.
A series of petitions were then filed before the High Court on June 26, challenging the notices as arbitrary, illegal, and issued without proper jurisdiction. The court heard one of these petitions on the same day and granted an interim stay. On June 27, the bench heard all the petitions with similar arguments.
According to Live Law, petitioners contended that the Commissioner of a Municipality is not authorised to issue a demolition notice, which should instead be sent under the Urban Land Development Act, 1975. They argued that the land was legally allotted by the previous government, handed over through due process, and developed with all necessary documentation and tax payments in place. Petitioners also added that minor irregularities do not warrant demolition, which should only be a last resort.
The Advocate General argued that issuing a demolition notice indicated due process was being followed. However, Justice B Krishna Mohan, after hearing the arguments, reserved the cases for pronouncement of orders and extended the interim stay granted on June 26 to all petitioners until the final judgement is pronounced.
"The interim order granted earlier by this Court dated 26.06.2024 is extended till the pronouncement of further orders," LiveLaw reported Justice Krishna as saying.