Will hear Centre first before issuing any order, says Hyderabad HC

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Monday made it clear that it would not issue any order without hearing the Centre on a PIL seeking to declare the Centre’s action of demonetising Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, and a notification issued in this regard under Sub Section 2 of Section 26 of the RBI Act, 1934, as illegal.

Assistant solicitor general Narayana Reddy, while making a special mention asking the court to take up the case, told a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A. Shankar Narayana that the additional solicitor general of India was present in the court to argue on behalf of the Centre. The bench asked why the Centre was eager for hearing on the PIL. The petition against demonetisation was moved by city advocate K. Srinivas.

Refusing to take up the hearing to treat the PIL as an urgent matter, the bench stated that it would hear the PIL when it reached before them in normal course.
When the bench sought to know the status of the PIL pending before the Supreme Court with regard to demonetisation, counsel said that it was likely to come up for hearing on Tuesday. Asking why it couldn’t wait for the Supreme Court decision, the bench stated that it would hear the Centre only when it felt that its intervention was necessary after hearing the petitioner.