India News

Demonetisation valid: Supreme Court Constitution Bench approves move to demonetise Rs 1000, Rs 500 notes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2016 note ban was supported by the Supreme Court today, which ruled that the decision making process cannot be faulted merely because the proposal was made by the Central Government.

Published

4 years ago

January 2, 2023

Demonetisation cannot be invalidated due to lack of proportionality, said Justice Gavai.

The Central Board of RBI and the centre had a six-month-long conversation before the centre was obligated to act, according to the judges.

The centre’s decision to outlaw 1,000 and 500 rupee currencies in November 2016 was contested through petitions. The action caused the overnight wiping out of 10 lakh crore currencies.

The Supreme Court received 58 petitions contesting the banning of notes, contending that the government should not have made such a hasty decision and that the ban should be overturned.

The administration maintained that a case cannot be decided by the court if no real relief can be given. According to the centre, it would be like turning back the clock or unscrambling a scrambled egg.

Chairman of the Constitution Bench will retire two days after the verdict

The five-judge bench hearing the case includes Justices S Abdul Nazeer, BR Gavai, AS Bopanna, V Ramasubramaniam and Justice BV Nagaratna. Justice S Abdul Nazeer, who is heading the constitution bench, will retire on January 4, 2023, two days after the verdict is pronounced. According to media reports, two judgments are to be read in the constitution bench, which have been written by Justice BR Gavai and Justice BV Nagaratna.

Argument in petition – no right to cancel currency

The petitioners in this case contend that Section 26(2) of the Reserve Bank of India Act does not authorise the government to completely cancel currency notes of a particular denomination. Section 26(2) empowers the Center to cancel currency notes of a particular series and not the entire currency notes.

Demonetisation implemented to deal with black money: Centre

In the Supreme Court, the government defended the decision of demonetisation, saying that it was part of planning and an effective way to deal with problems like fake currency, terror funding, black money and tax evasion. This was the biggest step in the series related to changes in economic policies. The Centre had also said that the decision of demonetisation was taken only on the recommendation of the Central Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank.

Government mentions benefits of demonetisation in court

The Centre in its reply also said that demonetisation has brought many benefits like reduction in fake notes, increase in digital transactions, detection of unaccounted income. In October 2022 alone, a digital transaction of 730 crores took place, that is, a transaction of Rs 12 lakh crores has been recorded in a month, which was 1.09 lakh transactions in 2016, i.e. about Rs 6,952 crore.

PM Modi had announced demonetisation on Nov 8, 2016

On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the banning of 500 and 1000 rupee notes from 12 midnight in the name of the country. At that time, the government expected that at least Rs 3-4 lakh crore of black money would come out from demonetisation. However, only Rs 1.3 lakh crore of black money came to the fore in the entire exercise.

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India News

Asish Banerjee found dead in Rampurhat, Mamata Banerjee aide’s death shocks TMC

Former West Bengal deputy speaker and five-time Rampurhat MLA Asish Banerjee was found dead at a Trinamool Congress office in Birbhum.

Published

12 hours ago

August 16, 2026

APNLive Desk

Former West Bengal Assembly deputy speaker and Trinamool Congress leader Asish Banerjee was found dead at a party office next to his residence in Rampurhat, Birbhum district, on Sunday morning.

Police said his body was found hanging and was sent for postmortem. A large crowd gathered outside the Trinamool Congress office after news of his death spread.

Who was Asish Banerjee?

Asish Banerjee had served as the deputy speaker of the West Bengal Assembly when Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was the state’s chief minister. He was also a five-time MLA from Rampurhat.

He had served as Bengal’s education and agriculture minister after Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress first came to power in the state.

Banerjee contested the West Bengal Assembly election earlier this year but lost the Rampurhat seat to BJP’s Dhruba Saha.

Asish Banerjee’s recent party role

Banerjee stepped down as chairman of the Trinamool Congress’s Birbhum district core committee in June. At the time, he said he would continue as a general member of the party.

He lived in the Hattalapara neighbourhood of Rampurhat, with the party office where his body was found located next to his house.

BJP gains in Birbhum

The BJP won six of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Birbhum in the latest state election. This marked a significant change from 2021, when the Trinamool Congress had won 10 seats in the district while the BJP had secured one.

Police have sent Asish Banerjee’s body for postmortem as the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.

India News

IPS Officer Nupur Prasad gets Medal for Meritorious Service after Sushant Singh Rajput probe

IPS officer Nupur Prasad, who led the CBI investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, has been selected for the Medal for Meritorious Service this year.

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

APNLive Desk

IPS officer Nupur Prasad, who led the CBI investigation into actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, has been recognised with the Medal for Meritorious Service (MSM) this year.

A 2007-batch AGMUT cadre officer, Ms Prasad recently returned to the Delhi Police after completing her tenure with the CBI. She is currently serving as Joint Commissioner of Police in the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), where she oversees investigations involving financial and economic crimes.

The award is part of this year’s recognition for police personnel for distinguished and meritorious service. Such honours recognise contributions in areas including investigation, crime prevention, public service, law and order and administration.

Nupur Prasad’s role in Sushant Singh Rajput case

Ms Prasad came into national focus during the CBI investigation into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, who was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14, 2020.

The case was transferred to the CBI in August 2020 following a complaint by the actor’s family and a legal dispute over jurisdiction.

During her tenure with the agency, Ms Prasad supervised key aspects of the investigation, including the examination of witness statements, forensic evidence and medical records.

In 2025, the CBI filed closure reports, saying its investigation found no evidence of foul play, abetment to suicide or criminal conspiracy in the actor’s death.

Career across Delhi Police, CBI

Ms Prasad has served in several positions during her career, including assignments in the Delhi Police, CBI, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal.

Before joining the CBI, she held senior positions in the Delhi Police and became the first Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Shahdara. During her tenure, she worked on establishing the district’s policing framework following its creation.

She also led operations targeting drug networks and illegal gambling activities while focusing on crime-prevention measures.

Later, as DCP of North Delhi, she oversaw security arrangements for major events, including Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort and Delhi University elections.

Community-focused policing initiatives

Beyond investigations, Ms Prasad has been associated with community-focused programmes involving women’s self-defence, youth development, cyber safety and drug de-addiction.

During her CBI tenure, she was also associated with several prominent investigations. Media reports have linked her to cases concerning businessman Vijay Mallya and the AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

Current role in Delhi Police

After completing her assignment with the CBI, Ms Prasad returned to the Delhi Police and took charge as Joint Commissioner of Police in the Economic Offences Wing.

The latest recognition adds to her career spanning investigations, policing and public service across several challenging assignments.

India News

Kharge, Rahul Gandhi skip Independence Day event for 2nd straight year

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

APNLive Desk

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi skipped the 80th Independence Day celebrations at Delhi’s Red Fort for the second consecutive year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the Independence Day celebrations at the historic venue on Saturday.

The absence of the two senior Congress leaders comes amid strained relations between the ruling party and the Opposition, which further deteriorated during the Monsoon Session of Parliament that concluded on Thursday.

2024 seating controversy

Rahul Gandhi had attended the Independence Day celebrations in 2024 but his seating arrangement triggered a controversy. The Congress leader, who holds the status of a Cabinet minister as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, was seated in the second-last row during the ceremony at the Red Fort.

The Opposition had criticised the seating arrangement, calling it an insult to the people. The Defence Ministry, which organised the event, said the arrangement had been modified to accommodate Olympians at the venue.

According to protocol, the Leader of the Opposition is seated in the front row during ceremonial events.

Opposition-ruling party tensions

Relations between the government and the Opposition remained tense during the Monsoon Session, which ended on Thursday.

The session saw repeated clashes between the two sides, with both the Opposition and the ruling party blaming each other for the low productivity of Parliament.

The session began on July 20, with students marching towards Parliament on the first day. Twelve bills were passed during the session, while detailed discussion took place on only one legislation, concerning paper leaks.

The Congress, along with the Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party, also boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned sine die.