Ban on Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes: Centre files caveat, SC may hear plea on 15 November

New Delhi: The Centre on Thursday filed a caveat in the Supreme Court that it be heard if the court entertains any petition on demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes even as the apex court indicated that it may hear on 15 November a plea challenging the government decision. “Let it be listed on Tuesday if the petition gets numbered by the registry,” a three-judge bench headed by Justice AR Dave said when a lawyer on Thursday sought urgent hearing of his plea on the ground that demonetisation is causing a lot of problem to the common citizens. [caption id=“attachment_2785538” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The Modi government filed a caveat in the apex court registry saying that it be heard if the court entertains and passes some directions on the petitions. The plea was mentioned by advocate Sangam Lal Pandey who has filed the PIL in his personal capacity. He has sought quashing of the 8 November notification of the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) of Finance Ministry on the grounds that the common public has not been granted sufficient time and as a result, they are facing a lot of hardship. The PIL has also sought a direction to the Centre that sufficient time be given to the citizens for exchanging the demonetised currency notes. Besides this petition, another plea was filed on Wednesday in the apex court seeking quashing of the decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes on grounds that it infringed on citizens’ right to life and to trade, among others. The PIL filed by Delhi-based lawyer Vivek Narayan Sharma, which could be listed for hearing during the week, has termed the notification of DEA as “dictatorial” claiming it did not grant reasonable time to citizens for exchanging the specified bank notes to legitimate notes to avoid “large-scale mayhem, life threating difficulties”. The plea has sought either quashing of the notification or a direction to the Centre for grant of “reasonable time frame” to citizens for exchanging the demonetised currency notes to avoid difficulties. The Prime Minister, in a televised address to the nation on 8 November, had declared that high denomination notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 will not be legal tender from 8 November midnight. He had said that the government has declared a “decisive” war against black money and corruption.