NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from farmers and their associations, and the Centre to a plea by the Andhra Pradesh government challenging the high court’s decision which said the state legislature “lacked competence” to make any law for shifting, bifurcating or trifurcating the capital.

It observed the Andhra Pradesh High Court cannot be a “town planner” or an “engineer” and direct the government that the capital city should come up in six months. A bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna also stayed time-bound directions issued by the high court, including the one that said the state will construct and develop Amaravati capital city and capital region within six months.

“The question is can the High Court become a town planner and an engineer and want the entire capital city come up in months. Even maps can’t be prepared in months and it wants the entire city to come up in six months. Can a constitutional court exercise this kind of power and issue directions to the government? That’s why we often say that court’s are not experts,” Justice Nagarathna said.