The Madras High Court today sought clarification from the government over the Devanagari form of numeral printed in the new Rs 2000 currency on a PIL petition seeking to declare it invalid on the ground that the use of the script was against the Official Languages Act.
When the petition came up for hearing, Assistant Solicitor General G R Swaminathan submitted that the Devanagari form of numerals printed in the note was just a design.
However, justices S Nagamuthu and M V Muralidharan, who were apparently not convinced with the argument, asked if the numerals did not convey the value of the currency and in that case "is it (Devanagari script numerals) language or design?"
The judges asked the ASG to get clarifications from the government and posted the matter to November 28 for further hearing.
Earlier, the ASG also informed the court that the Reserve Bank of India's Central Board had approved the design of Rs 2000 currency note as per the Reserve Bank of India Act Sec 25.
The PIL, filed by local DMK functionary K P T Ganesan, also claimed that under the Reserve Bank of India Act, there was no provision to print notes of Rs 2,000 denomination without the recommendation of the Central Board.
The petitioner submitted that the printing of the numerals on the note in Devanagiri was against the Official Languages Act, 1963.
He contended that the Constitution allows the use of international form of Indian numerals for any official purpose of the Union.
Though there was a provision that Parliament may pass a law to use Devanagari form of numerals on currency notes, such an act had not been passed, he argued.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on November 8 announced demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes, making them invalid. He had also announced introduction of Rs 2,000 notes.
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