April 2026
In short: Andhra Pradesh polity & governance current affairs for April 2026.
Current Affairs — Andhra Pradesh › Polity & Governance · 14 min read · Free to read · English & Telugu
Bilingual study notes for the Andhra Pradesh Police SI & Constable exams (SLPRB AP) by AP Police Hub, a product of Anvil Academy.
Andhra Pradesh's April 2026 governance digest — Parliament passes the AP Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 naming Amaravati the capital with effect from 2 June 2024, Justice Lisa Gill becomes Chief Justice of the AP High Court, Settipalle village in Tirupati sees its first land registration in nearly five decades, and Byreddy Shabari becomes TDP's first woman National General Secretary.
April 2026 — At a Glance
April 2026's governance story in Andhra Pradesh was about settling long-open questions. Parliament passed the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which writes "Amaravati shall be the new capital" into Section 5 of the 2014 Act, with retrospective effect from 2 June 2024. At the High Court, Justice Lisa Gill — transferred from the Punjab and Haryana High Court — took charge as Chief Justice on the retirement of Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur. In Tirupati, the Inam village of Settipalle recorded its first land registration after nearly five decades, alongside a ₹1,766 crore township proposed by the Tirupati Urban Development Authority. In party organisation, Byreddy Shabari (Nandyal MP) became the first woman National General Secretary of the Telugu Desam Party.
1. State Reorganisation — Amaravati Declared the Capital by Law
The AP Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 ends the capital ambiguity
- The news — The Lok Sabha passed, and Parliament has now passed, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, formally recognising Amaravati as the sole and permanent capital of Andhra Pradesh and giving statutory clarity after the transition period expired.
- The original gap — The AP Reorganisation Act, 2014 was enacted under Article 3 to bifurcate the State. Its Section 5 made Hyderabad the common capital for a period not exceeding ten years from 2 June 2014, after which AP had to establish a new capital — but the Act never named the new capital or its location, leaving ambiguity once the period ended in 2024.
- The detour — In 2019 the incoming government proposed a three-capital model (executive, legislative and judicial functions in different cities), which led to legal challenges. In 2022 the AP High Court ruled that the State lacked legislative competence to shift the capital.
- The State's request — The AP Legislative Assembly passed a Resolution on 28 March 2026 asking the Union Government to amend the Act — so Parliament acted on the State legislature's request, an example of cooperative federalism.
What the amendment changes| Provision | Effect |
|---|
| Wording of Section 5 | Replaces "there shall be a new capital" with "Amaravati shall be the new capital" |
| Definition | Amaravati = the notified area under the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority Act, 2014 |
| Commencement | Retrospective effect from 2 June 2024 (end of Hyderabad's joint-capital status) |
| Status | Statutory recognition of Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh |
- Political response — The Bill received broad political support, except from the YSR Congress Party, which had earlier advocated the three-capital model and criticised the Bill for not addressing Land Pooling Scheme and compensation issues of farmers.
- Why retrospective — The retrospective clause validates decisions taken in Amaravati since June 2024, ensuring continuity of governance.
- The capital project — Amaravati lies on the banks of the Krishna River between Vijayawada and Guntur; it is implemented through the AP Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA), has a planned capital-city area of about 217 sq. km, is built through a land pooling scheme (farmers contribute land for developed plots and compensation), and its master plan was prepared with the assistance of Surbana Jurong.
- Concerns noted — Heavy financial requirements of a greenfield capital, the unresolved balanced regional development debate, and questions of precedent around retrospective legislation.
Capital question — timeline| Date | Event |
|---|
| 2 June 2014 | AP bifurcated; Hyderabad made common capital for up to ten years (Section 5) |
| 2019 | Three-capital model proposed by the incoming government |
| 2022 | AP High Court: State lacks legislative competence to shift the capital |
| 2 June 2024 | Joint-capital period ends — the date from which the amendment applies |
| 28 March 2026 | AP Legislative Assembly resolution requesting amendment of the Act |
| April 2026 | Parliament passes the AP Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 |
2. Judiciary — Justice Lisa Gill, Chief Justice of the AP High Court
Appointment, transfer convention and the constitutional framework
- Appointment — President Droupadi Murmu appointed Justice Lisa Gill as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, to assume office on April 25, 2026, after the retirement of Chief Justice Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur on April 24.
- Transfer first — She had recently been transferred from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the AP High Court and served there as a puisne judge before elevation — reflecting the practice of transferring a judge in advance so the incoming Chief Justice becomes familiar with the court's administration.
- Oath — She was sworn in by Governor S. Abdul Nazeer at Lok Bhavan. The oath form is prescribed in the Third Schedule of the Constitution.
- Puisne judge — A puisne judge is a regular judge of a High Court who is not the Chief Justice.
High Court — articles to remember| Article | Provision |
|---|
| Article 214 | A High Court for each State |
| Article 215 | Every High Court is a Court of Record (can punish for contempt of itself) |
| Article 217 | Appointment of HC judges / Chief Justice by the President after consultation with the CJI and the State Governor |
| Article 222 | Transfer of a judge from one High Court to another by the President, after consulting the CJI |
| Article 226 | Writ jurisdiction — for Fundamental Rights and other legal rights (wider than Article 32) |
| Article 235 | High Court's control over subordinate courts |
- Collegium — The collegium system (CJI + senior Supreme Court judges) is not in the Constitution; it evolved through the Second and Third Judges Cases and gives the judiciary primacy in appointments and transfers.
- Outside Chief Justice — By convention a High Court Chief Justice is appointed from outside the State to avoid local influence.
- Tenure & removal — HC judges hold office till 62 years (Supreme Court judges: 65); removal is only on proved misbehaviour or incapacity, by the same procedure as for a Supreme Court judge.
3. Land Governance — Settipalle's First Registration in Five Decades
An Inam-village dispute resolved as a township is planned
- The news — Settipalle village in Tirupati witnessed its first land registration after nearly five decades, resolving a long-pending land settlement dispute.
- Township link — The breakthrough coincides with a ₹1,766 crore township project proposed by the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA).
- The village — Settipalle is an Inam village covering 636.38 acres. The land was taken over by the government in 1979, but settlement and regularisation of ownership remained incomplete for decades.
- Why it stalled — Multiple registrations, overlapping ownership claims, unclear land records and legal restrictions meant families could not register, transfer, inherit or develop their land.
- The legal barrier — Section 22A of the Registration Act, 1908 lets the State prohibit registration of certain lands (government, assigned, disputed or unclear-title lands) to stop fraudulent transfers; removal from the prohibited list becomes necessary once ownership is verified and settlement is complete.
- Inam lands — Inam lands were grants by rulers or colonial authorities to individuals, religious institutions or service providers, often with tax exemptions; post-Independence Inam Abolition laws converted them into regular ownership, but incomplete surveys left disputes behind.
4. Political Parties — Women's Leadership and Cadre Training
Byreddy Shabari's appointment and the "Nation First" training camp
- Byreddy Shabari — Byreddy Shabari, who represents Nandyal in the Lok Sabha, has been appointed the first woman National General Secretary of the Telugu Desam Party. She is a first-time MP and serves as the party's Deputy Floor Leader in the Lok Sabha.
- Context — The appointment comes as discussion grows on implementing the Women's Reservation Act (106th Constitutional Amendment, 2023) — the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam — which reserves 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies (including within SC/ST seats), with implementation linked to the next Census and delimitation.
- Representation data — Women are around 13–14% of Lok Sabha members; worldwide, women held about 26.9% of parliamentary seats in 2023 (Inter-Parliamentary Union). The 73rd and 74th Amendments reserve one-third of seats for women in panchayats and urban local bodies.
- BJP cadre training — Minister Satya Kumar Yadav addressed a cadre training programme at Bathalapalli in Sri Sathya Sai district under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Prashikshan Maha Abhiyan 2026, stressing "Nation First, Party Next, Self Last" and the role of booth-level workers in delivering welfare schemes.
- Background facts cited — The Bharatiya Jana Sangh was founded by Syama Prasad Mookerjee in 1951; Integral Humanism was propounded by Deendayal Upadhyaya; the BJP was formed in 1980.