Supreme Court to Centre: common people should not suffer
While asserting “the common man should not be made to suffer” in this current course of demonetisation Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, the Supreme Court told on Tuesday. The court said that the prime objective to tackle black money and fake currency may be laudable but this does not mean that everyone with old currency has to be treated as hoarders of black money.
A bench which was led by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur has asked the government to further justify under the law its notifications for demonetisation Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, apart from listing various steps it has taken since November 8 to make sure that the inconvenience caused to people is mitigated.
However, the court did not find it apt to further stay the notification, and clarified that it was not interfering with the economic policy, for now.
But, at the same time, it was also underlined that a large number of daily wagers, vegetable sellers, carpenters and others who are engaged in menial jobs, who earn their bread and butter on a daily basis, have been badly affected by the government’s move.
Take corrective steps: Supreme Court to Centre
Hearing a clutch of PILs that have also challenged the validity of the notifications, the bench has asked the government to submit by November 25 a comprehensive affidavit over the legal validity of the notifications as well as elaborate on some measures it has taken subsequently to address concerns of the people.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi has sought to emphasise that it was a policy decision taken after extensive deliberation and that the government was further willing to identify areas and take corrective steps in order to prevent hardship to the common man.
At this, the bench clarified that it was not looking at the prospect of staying the policy decision, but asking the government to identify areas that required immediate attention and take additional measures.
This, it said, was especially in view of the AG’s argument that there is a limited capacity to print new notes and that it would take some time to recalibrate the ATM machines to dispense the new currency.
