New Delhi, Jul 4: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Union government to tell within two weeks if the people with genuine reasons can be allowed to deposit demonetised currency notes of Rs 500 and 1000 beyond March 31.
"If one can establish that the money was his or hers, you cant deprive them from depositing the money," a bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud told Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar.
"If there is a genuine person with valid reasons, he should have an opportunity to say that he has failed to deposit his money, and he must be given a window, " the bench add.
Kumar sought time to respond to the court's observation.
The court also pointed out that it has decided to consider the issue at hand after finding that the petitioners including aged housewives were genuinely affected with the decision.
A batch of PILs sought directions to the Union government to allow the petitioners depositing scrapped currency notes of Rs 500 and 1000.
The Centre has already filed an affidavit stating that the government is not going to open any window for anyone now to deposit the old notes.
It had defended firmly before the court its decision not to extend the deadline of December 30, last, for exchange of demonetised currency notes of Rs 500 and 1000.
"It was necessary to promulgate the Ordinance since it was incumbent upon the central government to inter-alia have clarity and finality to the liabilities of the Reserve Bank of India as well as the central government arising from such specified bank notes which had ceased to be legal tender,” the Finance Ministry had said.
The government had maintained that the Ordinance, that fixed the December 30 deadline, had an overriding effect on all previous notifications, including the one that had mentioned people would be allowed to deposit and exchange old notes until March 31, 2017.
The petitioners claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced that the people would be permitted to exchange old notes until March 31, 2017.
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