Bombay HC seeks RBI reply on changes in currency, coins

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Thursday asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to file a fresh affidavit stating the reasons behind frequent changes in the shape and size of coins and currency.

The query was posed by 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 petition claimed that regular changes in currency and coins made it difficult for visually impaired persons to identify and distinguish them.

On Thursday, petitioner’s counsel Uday Varunjikar told the court that currency notes should be user-friendly so that blind people can also recognize notes easily.

The court observed, “We want to know from the RBI what is compelling them to make changes in features like size and so on with respect to currency notes.”

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 by RBI counsel 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 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 too.

On last hearing, the court was informed that RBI has constituted a committee to look into the issue of currency notes, which would be helpful for blind peoples.

RBI had told a bench that it was in the process of developing a mobile application to help the visually impaired identify the denomination of currency notes.

The RBI informed the court that the new currency notes in India of the denomination of Rs 100 and above, already had tactile markers and embossments to help the visually challenged ascertain the denominations of such notes.