Five-judge Bench to deal with pleas on depositing scrapped notes

SC said it has not opined on the merits of the validity of the ordinance or on the demonetisation decision

A five-judge Constitution Bench, which would decide the validity of the Centre’s November 8, 2016, decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, would also deal with the pleas seeking to deposit the demonetised currency, the Supreme Court said on Friday.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra disposed of as many as 14 petitions, seeking its nod to deposit scrapped currency notes on the ground that they could not be deposited during the window period provided by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) due to compelling reasons.

It asked the petitioners to file interlocutory pleas in the pending petition to be dealt with by the Constitution Bench. “We think it appropriate that the writ petitioners shall file interlocutory pleas in the pending writ petition... before the Constitution Bench,” the Bench, also comprising A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said.

The top court said it has not opined on the merits of the validity of the ordinance or on the demonetisation decision, which would be dealt with by the larger bench along with the individual grievances.