Supreme Court Upholds Government’s Demonetization Decision

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The Supreme Court of India ruled on Monday that the government was within its rights to implement its 2016 demonetization policy and that due process was followed. The court, however, declined to rule on the economic merits of the policy, stating that it lacked the necessary expertise. It emphasized that enough time was given for individuals to exchange the demonetized currency and that the interests of the general public must take precedence over those of individuals.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrated the ruling as an endorsement of the policy, while the Congress party argued that the ruling was restricted to the executive’s powers and the procedure followed, rather than the merits of demonetization itself. The Congress also highlighted the dissenting judgement that argued that Parliament should have ratified the policy.