This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.

Supreme Court Asks Govt To Explain Why The Promised Window To Deposit Old Notes By March 31 Was Cut Short

PM Modi had announced on November 8 that people would be allowed to deposit scrapped currency notes until March 31.
Getty Images/iStockphoto

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the government and the Reserve Bank to explain why it cut short the window of depositing old notes by March 31 as promised following a plea alleging that people were being turned away from bank and RBI branches.

PM Narendra Modi during his public address on the scrapping of old notes on November 8 last year had promised that people would have ample time -- until March 31 -- to deposit their old notes. That window was subsequently restricted, allowing only non-resident Indians who weren't present during November to December to deposit old currency into their accounts.

The plea came from a woman petitioner who contended that she was unable to exchange a big chunk of the scrapped notes in November and December as she had been pregnant at the time, and planned on doing so after giving birth, the Economic Times reported.

The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India J S Kehar, hasn't 'prima facie' accepted the woman's allegation and asked the government to respond by Friday.

"Who did not know of this (demonetisation)? There was a big hungama over it. You could have issued a power of attorney," Chief Justice Kehar reportedly said.

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.