Delhi HC to hear pleas against Rs 2,000 note on Dec 22

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday posted, for December 22, hearing on the pleas seeking withdrawal of the newly introduced Rs 2,000 notes and roll-back of demonetisation.

As a division bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal did not assemble on Wednesday, the pleas were now listed for December 22.

The high court has two different PILs challenging different provisions of the demonetisation decision.

One of the pleas filed in high court by Pooja Mahajan, a Delhi-based fashion designer, said the decision was "arbitrary and unconstitutional".

The petition said that on November 8, the central government issued two notifications under the RBI Act.

By the first notification, the high value currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 were banned and by the second notification, the notes were revalidated for certain categories like making payments in government hospitals, pharmacies, railway ticketing counters etc., said the plea.

These two notifications run contrary to each other, the second notification superseded the first notification, and hence the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes must be accepted as legal tender, the petition added.

The petition challenged the constitutionality and validity of the issuance of Rs 2,000 notes by the government contending that the notification directing the issuance of the Rs 2,000 notes is bad in law because under Section 24(2), no such notification for issuing/circulating bank notes can be passed.

The Supreme Court has also been hearing the pleas against demonetisation move of the central government.

--IANS

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