The Supreme Court permitted Andhra Pradesh government to allow paramilitary forces remain in Osmania University campus Hyderabad till February 23 in view of the ongoing agitation for creation of separate state of Telangana.

A bench comprising Justices G S Singhvi and T S Thakur stayed the Andhra Pradesh High Court order directing the state government to remove all para military forces from the University campus.

Earlier, Senior Counsel Mukul Rohtagi appearing for the state of Andhra Pradesh, contended before the court that in view of charged atmosphere and apprehension of serious violence breaking out in the University campus on Telangana issue, Security forces cannot be removed According to state government, presence of adequate number of security personnel at the campus is a must to maintain law and order. The campus has become nerve centre of students' agitation for Telangana and the situation there was highly volatile and explosive.

The state government had rushed to the Supreme Court when Andhra Pradesh High Court directed it to remove all central paramilitary forces from the University campus. Violence had broken out several times in the University campus and in the city of Hyderabad causing heavy damage to public and private property. The student bodies however claim that the state was trying to quell the peaceful agitation by the student through the misuse of state machinery.

The Students are agitating for creation of Telangana by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh. The government has already appointed a committee headed by Retired Supreme Court judge Justice P.N. Srikrishna on the issue and the committee is to submit its report to the union government latest by December 31, 2010.