New Delhi: The Odisha government Wednesday filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court against Andhra Pradesh seeking a stay on the notification issued by Andhra Pradesh for holding elections in three villages of Kotia gram panchayat in Koraput district.
Odisha, in the contempt petition filed through advocate Sibo Shankar Mishra, submitted that Andhra Pradesh has wilfully and deliberately violated the Supreme Court order dated December 2, 1968 and the judgement dated March 30, 2006 by transgressing into Odisha’s territory.
The apex court in its 1968 and 2006 judgements had asked both the states to maintain status quo on the boundary dispute with regard to Kotia group of villages with the consent of both states. The state government pleaded the court to issue notice to its AP counterpart.
Odisha contended that Andhra Pradesh March 5 last year issued notification to conduct local body election in the Vizianagaram district.
“Salur is one of the Mandals where the Panchayat election was also notified to be conducted on the scheduled date. In the notification, Andhra Pradesh deliberately roped in three villages from the ‘Kotia Group of Villages’ falling under the territory of Koraput district of Orissa into Salur Mandal of Vizianagaram District,” Odisha stated in the petition.
The state also contended that Andhra Pradesh changed the name of the three villages of Kotia GP. The name of Ganjaipadar has been changed into Ganjaibadra, Phattusenary into Pattuchennum and Phagusenary into Phaguluchennuru
“Tactfully the contemners converted these three villages of one GP falling under territory of Orissa into three different GPs,” Odisha stated in the petition.