Relief To Odisha: SC To Hear State’s Original Petition On Kotia Dispute With Andhra

Bhubaneswar: In a major relief to Odisha in the case of dispute with Andhra Pradesh over Kotia panchayat in Koraput district, the Supreme Court has decided to hear the original petition filed by the government.

While hearing the contempt petition filed by Odisha government against its Andhra counterpart on the issue on Wednesday, a division bench of the apex court comprising Justice AM Khaniwalkar and Justice CT Rabi Kumar agreed to hear the original petition filed by Odisha in 1968.

The bench also observed that if any disturbance takes place in Kotia during the period, both Odisha and AP can approach the court. Advocates Vikash Singh and Siba Sankar Mishra, who represented Odisha in the case, informed the court that the panchayat elections conducted by the state government in Kotia under Pottangi block passed off smoothly this year.

The Odisha government had filed the contempt petition against officers of Andhra Pradesh government for not maintaining status quo in Kotia as directed by the Supreme Court in 1968 and 2006.

The original suit stated that Kotia panchayat was an integral part of Odisha and Andhra was trying to capture it. But, the court had refused to hear the petition under Article 131 of the Constitution. In  January 2022, the state government approached the court to hear the original suit again.