SC upholds Centre's 2016 decision on demonetisation
New Delhi (PTI): By a majority verdict, the Supreme Court on Monday upheld the government's 2016 decision to demonetise the currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations.
A five-judge Constitution bench of the apex court, headed by Justice S A Nazeer, said the Centre's decision-making process could not have been flawed as there was consultation between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Union government.
The court said the notification dated November 8, 2016, which announced the decision to scrap the high-value currency notes, cannot be said to be unreasonable and struck down on the ground of decision-making process.
The apex court said it is not relevant whether the objective behind the decision was achieved or not.
"The notification dated November 8, 2016 valid, satisfies test of proportionality," the bench, also comprising justices B R Gavai, A S Bopanna, V Ramasubramanian and B V Nagarathna, said.
Justice Nagarathna differed from the majority judgment on the point of the Centre's powers under section 26(2) of the RBI Act.
The top court's judgment came on a batch of 58 petitions challenging the demonetisation exercise announced by the Centre on November 8, 2016.
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New York, Apr 30 (PTI): New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would encourage King Charles III to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond.
“If I was to speak to the King separately from that, I would probably encourage him to return the Koh-i-Noor diamond,” Mamdani said at a press conference Wednesday before he met the British monarch in the city later in the day. Mamdani was asked what he would say to the King, who visited New York City on the second day of his State Visit to the US.
King Charles addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress Tuesday, as he and Queen Camilla were honoured at a state dinner hosted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump in the White House.
King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the 9/11 Memorial in the city and paid their respects to the victims of the terror attack.
They also visited Harlem Grown, a network of urban farms supporting children and families in Upper Manhattan.
Mamdani met King Charles at the 9/11 memorial. The 105.6-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond was given to Queen Victoria in 1849 by Maharajah Duleep Singh. It was worn by the Queen Mother on her crown in 1937.
India has indicated that it will continue to explore ways to bring back the Koh-i-noor from the United Kingdom.
The country has been raising the matter from time to time with the UK government and said it will continue to explore ways and means for obtaining a “satisfactory resolution of the matter.”
The Koh-i-Noor diamond is currently displayed at the Tower of London. The diamond, set within the Crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, has "many previous owners, including Mughal Emperors, Shahs of Iran, Emirs of Afghanistan, and Sikh Maharajas,” according to the Historic Royal Palaces charity.
The 34-year-old Indian-descent Mamdani is the son of renowned filmmaker Mira Nair and Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani.
He is the first Muslim, the first Indian-origin, the first born in Africa, and the youngest one in more than a century to become New York Mayor.
