R5 Zone: AP Govt Moves to Supreme Court

Andhra Pradesh state government has moved the Supreme Court over the HC’s verdict on the construction of houses for poor people in the R5 zone of the Amaravati capital region. AP government has filed a SLP (Special Leave Petition) in the Supreme Court against the AP HC’s interim stay order over the further construction of residences for the poor in the R5 zone. The top court has issued a diary/ register number. Now, Amaravati farmers are demanding that their version should also be heard in the Apex court. It can be noted that the farmers have already filed a Caveat in the Supreme Court.

What is a Special Leave Petition (SLP)? 

Under this, the aggrieved party is provided a special permission to be heard in Apex Court, in appeal against the order or judgment of any court or tribunal in the territory of India, when any substantial question of law is involved or gross injustice has been done.

HC interims orderson R5 

Earlier, a three-judge bench comprising Justice D V S S Somayajulu, Justice Cheekati Manavendranath Roy and Justice Ravi Nath Tilhar passed interim orders that further construction of houses for non-locals in the region is not allowed under the present circumstances. 
The Past

It can be noted that Amaravati farmers have approached the AP High Court against the state government’s decision to construct houses for the poor in R5 zone of Amaravati. The petitioners argue that this is against the promises made to them under land pooling. The R5 zone was carved out by the incumbent YSRCP government in 2023. Earlier, the land was earlier part of the other zones – non – polluting industry zone, town centre zone, educational zone, business park zone etc. 

But converting these into a residential zone (R5) for the poor may affect the interests of the land owners who gave their lands to the government during the Land Pooling in Chandra Babu Naidu’s regime on the assurance of  developed plots in an urbanised capital city. But all development activity was halted after the YSRCP came to power in 2019. This led to the legal tussle between Amaravati farmers and the incumbent state government.