Centre holding back crucial documents related to demonetisation, P Chidambaram tells Supreme Court

The Centre is holding back crucial documents related to the move to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes in November 2016, Congress MP P Chidambaram

told the Supreme Court on Thursday, while appearing as a counsel for one of the petitioners who have challenged the move, Live Law reported.

“We still do not have the November 7 [2016] letter from the Centre to the Reserve Bank of India, the agenda note placed before the Central Board of the Reserve Bank, the minutes of the Central Board meeting and their recommendations, and the actual Cabinet decision on November 8,” Chidambaram said. “These documents have not yet been placed in the public domain, despite the passage of six years.”

Chidambaram made the submission before a Constitution bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer, BR Gavai, AS Bopanna, V Ramasubramanian and BV Nagarathna. The bench is hearing a batch of 58 petitions challenging the demonetisation move.

On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced that Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes would cease to be legal tender in India from midnight. Modi had said that the decision had been taken to “fight corruption, black money and terrorism”.

The Rs 2,000 notes and Rs 500 notes with a new design were introduced after demonetisation.

The petitioners have claimed that the...

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