NEW DELHI: Former RSS ideologue K N Govindacharya has written a letter to Chief Justice of India T S Thakur seeking compensation for those who have lost their lives allegedly due to demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes.
He has said that his letter has to be treated as a PIL as the Centre's move to demonetise high denomination notes has brought "financial emergency" and "innumerable poor and marginalised persons have been deprived of their financial security".
"More than 70 persons have died as a result of improper implementation of demonetisation, while others are suffering economically due to the horrendous decision of the Centre. There are innumerable poor and marginalised persons who have been deprived of their financial security but do not have the resources to file a formal petition before Supreme Court... The present situation is nothing but undeclared implementation of financial emergency under Article 360 of the Constitution wherein the central government has failed to honour its guarantee," Govindacharya said in his letter to the CJI seeking compensation for those who have lost their lives allegedly due to the demonetisation exercise.
Govindacharya also said that he wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs on November 17 highlighting "legal fallacies" in the demonetisation exemption notification to which they failed to reply.
"Your Honour may initiate a suo motu public interest litigation to protect the fundamental rights guaranteed under Art. 21 of thousands of persons across country, for which the Hon'ble Supreme Court is duty bound under Article 32 of the Constitution. Cash crunch has had an adverse impact on agriculture, marriages and medical treatments thus making a joke of the fundamental right under Article 21. Value of the currency is a matter of national dignity but non-availability of the same has reduced it to national shame. Deaths of people standing in ATM lines, and forced to commit suicide in rural areas is due to no value of their hard earned money," he said in the letter.
The apex court would tomorrow hear a batch of petitions challenging the demonetisation.