MARGAO
The December 30 deadline to dispose of junk currency notes ends today, but courts and judicial officials across the State find themselves in a piquant situation on how to go about disposing of currency notes that were seized in raids on gambling, besides other cases.
In the absence of any Reserve Bank of India guideline or instructions from the local government that sheds light on how to dispose of the attached money seized in raids, the courts are indeed anxiously awaiting directions how to go about the matter.
For, even before the deadline to deposit the scrapped currency notes could expire, the courts have begun to face the heat in the disposal of the seized cash after disposal of cases. Sources in the South Goa District and Sessions Court told 'The Goan' that a court Nazir had a week ago approached the government treasury to deposit an amount of Rs 5,000 in the denomination of Rs 500 notes. To the shock and surprise of the court Nazir, he was told by the bank officials that he should instead open a bank account and deposit the amount in the absence of RBI guidelines.
Left with no option, the Nazir returned back and narrated the episode to the concerned Judge, who has now prompted the administration to wait for guidelines from the RBI and government before the amount is deposited in the treasury.
Says a Judicial Officer: “In this particular case, we have decided to keep the amount in the court since the case was decided in favour of the State. We do not know how to deal in situations when a case ends in an acquittal and the accused is entitled for the money seized by the investigating agency,” remarked the judicial official.
Court officials said the episode is just a tip of the iceberg since there may be dozens of cases, especially relating to gambling raids conducted by the investigating agencies across the State.
When 'The Goan' contacted the RBI Goa unit office to shed light on the demonetised currency notes lying attached in the courts pending disposal of cases, an official said the RBI office has received no guidelines so far from the head office on how to go about such cases. The RBI official, however, exuded confidence that the RBI would soon come out with guidelines since the issue at hand is not Goa specific, since gambling and corruption cases must be pending in courts across the country.
Sources in the know said the local RBI office had received a query from a local court on how to dispose of the demonetised notes after the attached property is released by the court after disposal of a case.
A senior police official said that apart from the courts, the police also will find themselves in a tight spot since there may be dozens of cases relating to gambling raids where currency attached during police operations is lying in the courts awaiting disposal.
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NO CLARITY
- In the absence of RBI guidelines, courts are in a fix as to how to dispose of seized currency
- Recently, a court Nazir had to return with old notes after being told by bank officials to open a bank account and deposit the amount
- A local RBI official exuded confidence that the apex bank would come out with guidelines since the issue is not Goa specific
