Madurai: The Devanagari form of numerals has been used in the new Rs 2000 note only as a design with the approval of the Reserve Bank of India’s Central Board, assistant solicitor general G.R. Swaminathan told the court.
When the petition filed by Agri K.P.T. Ganesan from Madurai, who sought to declare Rs 2,000 notes as invalid for using Devanagari form of numerals without passing any law in Parliament for using it for any official purpose, came up for hearing in the court on Tuesday, Swaminathan said the Devanagari form of numeral imprinted on the note was just a design which had been used only with the approval of RBI Central Board as per the Reserve Bank of India Act section 25.
However, the division bench comprising Justices S. Nagamuthu and M.V. Muaralidharan was not convinced by the explanation. And the court asked Swaminathan to get a clarification from the government and posted the case for further hearing on November 28.
The main contention of the petitioner that the sub clause 3 of the Article 343 of Indian Constitution provides that Parliament may by passing a law for the use of the Devanagiri forms of numerals after 15 years from the date of the commencement of the Constitution for which authorisation from the President is also needed.
“Whereas, except the official language act, the parliament didn’t pass any act providing for the use of Devanagiri form of numerals for any official purpose. Hence as on date the use of Devanagiri form of numerals is not authorised,” he claimed.
