Why keep changing features of notes, coins? HC asks RBI

The Bombay High Court on Thursday sought to know from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) the reason behind changing from time to time the size and other features in currency notes and coins.

The query was posed by a division bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice N M Jamdar while hearing a petition filed by the National Association of the Blind (NAB).

The NAB petition claimed that new currency notes and coins issued by the RBI posed difficulty for visually impaired persons in terms of identification and distinguishing them.

“We want to know from the RBI what is the compulsion to keep changing the features like size and so on in the currency notes,” Chief Justice Nandrajog said.

The court added that no other country in the world keeps changing size and features of their currency notes so often.

The court was informed that in March this year the RBI had issued new coins with special features to help visually impaired persons distinguish them.

The court directed the apex bank to file its affidavit within a period of six weeks on the issue.

The petition has sought for directions to the central bank to include distinctive features in the new coins and currency notes. PTI SP RSY RHL