ORDER ON NEW ANDHRA CAPITAL STAYED

The observation came on a comment by Union minister Kiren Rijiju that collegium should make the appointments and “run the show” if their complaint is that the government has been sitting on files.

NEW DELHI: “Courts are not governments,” said the Supreme Court on Monday as it stayed a judgment of Andhra Pradesh high court that Amaravati is the only capital of the state and directed the government to develop it within a period of six months. The top court also observed that the high court cannot be a “town planner” or an “engineer” to direct the government to build the capital in six months and that it had “overstepped its limit” in the matter.

A bench of justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna made the remarks while hearing an appeal filed by the Andhra Pradesh government, challenging the March 3 order of the high court that required the state to develop Amaravati as the capital city within six months.