From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India has sought report from the registry upon filing for an urgent hearing by petitioner advocate Ashwini Upadhyay, who challenged the RBI decision on exchange of 2,000 rupee notes without any requisition slip and ID proof. Advocate Upadhyay had also filed a plea for the same earlier in Delhi High Court, which had dismissed it.
A vacation bench of justices Aniruddha Bose and Rajesh Bindal passed the order after petitioner advocate Ashwini Upadhyay mentioned the matter on Wednesday, seeking an urgent hearing.
On June 1, the top court refused to list for an urgent hearing of Upadhyay’s plea challenging the notifications and said it would not be taking up such pleas during the summer vacation.
Upadhyay on Wednesday submitted that the issue is very important as Maoists, terrorists and separatists were exchanging money and there are media reports saying notes worth Rs 80,000 crore have been exchanged.
“We cannot go by media reports. You mention on Friday, meanwhile, let us see the registry report,” the bench said.
“When the matter has already been mentioned, how can the case be mentioned again,” the apex court asked.
Seeking urgent listing of the plea, the lawyer had earlier said the Rs 2,000 banknotes were being exchanged by criminals and terrorists without any requisition slip and ID proof such as Aadhaar cards.
“In a short span of time, Rs 50,000 crore has been exchanged in banks by returning the banknotes of Rs 2,000 denomination,” he claimed, adding that the delay in hearing would lead to exchange of all black money in banks.
Upadhyay filed the appeal in the top court against the May 29 decision of the Delhi High Court dismissing his PIL challenging the notifications by the Reserve Bank of India and the State Bank of India allowing the exchange of Rs 2,000 banknotes without having to furnish any document.
On May 19, the RBI announced the withdrawal of the Rs 2,000 currency notes from circulation and said existing notes in circulation can either be deposited in bank accounts or exchanged by September 30.
In order to ensure operational convenience and avoid disruption of regular activities of bank branches, the RBI said the exchange of Rs 2,000 notes into banknotes of other denominations can be made up to a limit of Rs 20,000 at a time at any bank starting from May 23.
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