‘Final Opportunity’, SC Seeks Centre’s Response On Defaced Currency In J&K

Bench of justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan granted four weeks to Centre to file its reply on defaced currency notes in "interest of justice".

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Friday gave final opportunity to the Central government to bring on record its response on a PIL seeking CBI probe into the RBI exchanging defaced currency notes worth Rs 30 crore allegedly belonging to a Kashmiri separatist group.

The matter came up before a bench comprising justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan. The bench noted that enough time had been given to the Union of India to file its reply. However, the bench said in the interest of justice it will give four weeks to the government to file its response.

The apex court was hearing a PIL filed by one Satish Bhardwaj. The plea claimed that in 2013 the Jammu branch of RBI exchanged the currency notes amounting to Rs 30 crore allegedly belonging to a separatist group called "Kashmir Graffitti".

The petitioner emphasised that the matter requires interference of the apex court, as the exchange of currency was done with the main aim of destabilising peace and harmony in the region of Jammu and Kashmir and to create an environment of tension and terror in the minds of common residents of the region.

The petitioner said a separatist group in Kashmir in its statement on Facebook claimed to have stamped separatist slogans on Indian currency worth Rs 30 crore between May and August in 2013.

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