The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to give an urgent hearing to a petition to quash the November 8 government notification demonetising Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 currency notes without giving the poor a reasonable opportunity to organise their lives.
A Bench led by Justice Anil R. Dave, however, agreed to hear the petition on November 15 (Tuesday), provided it was numbered by the administrative side of the Supreme Court and listed for hearing that day.
The Centre also did not take any chance and has filed a caveat in the case to prevent the court from passing ex-parte orders.
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The writ petition filed by Supreme Court advocate Sangam Lal Pandey said the scrapping of the high-denomination currency was implemented from November 8-9 midnight. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said the government was constrained to take this measure to fight the black money menace.
Mr. Pandey’s petition terms the announcement a “Tughlaki Farman,” after the medieval ruler Mohammed bin Tughlaq whose decisions to change the nation’s currency and the capital from Delhi had boomeranged.
Mr. Pandey, who is a party in person, claimed he had information that several private hospitals had refused to take payments in cash. This could delay “serious operations” scheduled for today or tomorrow.
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He said thousands of weddings scheduled between November 9 and 11 may have to be cancelled.
“A large number of people are suffering,” the petition said.
Another petition A similar petition against the November 8 demonetisation has been filed by another advocate, Vivek Narayan Sharma.
Mr. Sharma mentioned his petition before Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur’s Bench and requested an early hearing.
However, Chief Justice agreed with Solicitor-General Ranjit Kumar’s suggestion that since Mr. Pandey’s petition was scheduled to be heard on November 15, this petition should be tagged along with it for a joint hearing by an appropriate Bench.