Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, December 2

The much-awaited hearing on about two dozen petitions over demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes did not take place in the Supreme Court on Friday as the Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur wanted the PILs to be first sorted out and put in different categories.

The Bench, which included Justice DY Chandrachud, also asked the government to file another report on the measures being taken to ease the problems of people, particularly in rural areas and holding accounts in cooperative banks, in withdrawing cash.

The petitions required to be separated in terms of those which could be sent to high courts and retained in the SC, it said while deferring the hearing till December 5.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi said the government had already dealt with cooperative banks in its latest affidavit. These banks were not taken on board for collection of old currency notes and distribution of new currency as they lacked infrastructure to identify fake notes.

The Centre has also filed a petition seeking the transfer of several PILs from different HCs to any one of the HCs or the SC. Hearing on this plea also stood adjourned for December 5.

Most of the PILs welcomed the drive against black money and fake currency to check corruption, gun running, terrorism and smuggling, but took exception to poor implementation that had hit hard the weaker sections and the common man.