The Delhi High Court on Tuesday reserved its
judgement on a plea challenging the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and State Bank
of India (SBI) notifications, that permits exchange of notes without any
identity proof.
A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra
Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said: "We will pass appropriate
orders."
The counsel for RBI Senior Advocate Parag P.
Tripathi objected to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying that it must
be dismissed with exemplary costs.
The PIL has been filed by BJP leader and Advocate
Ashwini Upadhyay.
Tripathi further said that this is a statutory
exercise and not demonetisation.
"None of the points raised by my learned friend
in any manner impinges upon the public issues," he added.
The PIL says that the notifications -- published on
May 19 and 20 -- are arbitrary and offends Article 14 of Constitution of India.
The plea also seeks a direction to the RBI and SBI
to make sure that Rs 2000 notes are deposited in respective bank accounts only,
so that people having black money and disproportionate assets could be
identified.
To weed out corruption, benami transactions and
secure fundamental rights of citizens, the PIL, which has RBI, SBI and Union
Ministries of Home Affairs and Finance as respondents, seeks a direction to the
Centre to take action regarding the same.
"Recently, it was announced by the Centre that
every family has an Aadhaar Card and a Bank Account. Therefore, why RBI is
permitting to exchange Rs 2000 banknotes without obtaining identity proof. It
is also necessary to state that 80 crore BPL families receive free grains. It
means 80 crore Indians rarely use Rs 2,000 banknotes. Therefore, petitioner
also seeks direction to RBI and SBI to take steps to ensure that Rs 2000
banknotes are deposited in bank account only," the plea states.