8 months ago
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The Delhi High Court connected Wednesday (September 24, 2025) noted that it cannot contented an bid compelling the Centre oregon the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to redesign currency, portion proceeding a plea seeking the instauration of ₹50 notes with peculiar recognition marks for visually impaired persons.
A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela observed that decisions connected introducing integer currency oregon issuing specially designed notes, for the payment of persons with disabilities oregon the visually impaired, autumn wrong the policy-making domain of the authorities and the RBI, involving analyzable method and fiscal considerations.
The petitioners include, George Abraham — a visually challenged person, the Blind Graduates Forum of India, All India Confederation of the Blind arsenic good arsenic individuals, Rohit Dandriyal and Rahul Kumar.
The pleas had sought absorption from the tribunal for issuing of caller Rupee 50 enactment with recognition people for visually impaired persons. They had besides sought directions to guarantee entree to fiscal services for the visually challenged person.
The tribunal took enactment of RBI’s submission that workout to people caller currency is usually carried retired erstwhile successful 10 years oregon so.
“If that is so, we nonstop that both, the RBI arsenic good arsenic the Government of India, shall code the difficulties and impediments faced by susceptible people of citizens similar the specially abled/visually impaired persons and instrumentality into relationship the workable suggestions of the High Powered Committee earlier issuing oregon printing caller currency notes,” the tribunal said.
The tribunal expressed “fond anticipation and affirmative anticipation” that the suggestions of the High Powered Committee acceptable up by the tribunal successful 2022 to look into each the grievances raised successful by the petitioners, volition beryllium implemented successful owed course.
During the people of the proceeding, RBI has stated that it was “aware of and acknowledges the concerns of the visually impaired persons regarding recognition of banknotes”.
It said the enactment connected the adjacent bid of banknotes has been underway since 2017. RBI said it has taken up the substance of betterment successful visually impaired affable features with the printing presses and experiments are being conducted to analyse the feasibility of enhancing efficacy of visually impaired affable features (i.e., bleed lines, different intaglio elements) successful the banknotes.
On the petitioner’s plea for a caller Rupee 50 enactment with recognition people for visually impaired persons, the tribunal considered the submission of RBI that printing of caller currency notes “may entail immense costs moving into thousands of crores and the callback and demolition of old/prevalent currency would itself entail immense costs and time”.
“We tin lone observe that the RBI and the Government of India shall support successful caput and instrumentality into information the suggestions of the High Powered Committee arsenic and erstwhile the Government of India and RBI determine to people caller currency,” the tribunal said.
