Demonetisation death: SC to hear plea by kin of deceased senior citizen over compensation

The Supreme Court today will hear a plea filed by the family of Siya Ram, who died while standing in a bank queue in Uttar Pradesh after the demonetisation was announced, over the matter of his compensation.

The family members sought a direction to the Central government from the Apex Court seeking adequate compensation for his death.

70-year-old Siya Ram, a daily wager by profession, died on November 17 due to brain haemorrhage.

Ram's son Kanhaiya Lal had filed petition in the top court stating that his father was standing in queue for three days to exchange his currency.

The petition also claimed that 40 ATMs in the city of five lakh residents are not even dispensing cash regularly.

Over 50 people have reportedly lost their lives in incidents related to demonetisation, most being cases concerned with the serpentine ATM queues and lack of cash in banks.

On the evening of November 8th, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a surprise announcement, telling millions of Indians that the currency notes for Rupees 500 and Rupees 1,000--a whopping 86% of all bank notes in circulation--would become "illegal tender" in four hours.

The announcement sent people scrambling to the ATMs across the country, where they waited in long queues only to find that the cash dispensing machines wouldn't necessarily give smaller currency bills like Rs. 100.

Opposition leaders joined hands to protest the move and the Winter Session of the Parliament saw several disruptions over the issue.