india

Updated: Dec 26, 2018 23:58 IST

Come New Year, Andhra Pradesh will have a separate high court which will function from Amravati, the new capital of the state, as President Ram Nath Kovind Wednesday issued orders to this effect.

Since the bifurcation of the state on June 2, 2014, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have had a common high court at Hyderabad, the latter’s capital city. With the creation of the new high court, the country now has 25 high courts.

“...the President hereby constitutes a separate High Court for the State of Andhra Pradesh, namely, the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, from the 1st day of January, 2019 with the principal seat at Amaravati...and the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad shall become the High Court for the State of Telangana,” said the order.

Justice Ramesh Ranganathan, who is at present the Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court, will head the new high court that will have 15 other judges. Ten judges - part of the common high court - will now be the judges of the Telangana HC, the order said.