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Mr. Amit Goyal , Advocate appearing for the inmates before High Court said that until and unless arrangements as regards to the exchange or deposit of cash in hands of the prisoners which has been demonetised by the Government not made prisoners will suffer from natural justice and biasness contradicting the provisions of the Constitution of India in respect of enforcing their fundamental rights. Not making arrangements for exchange of demonetised currencies of the prisoners amounts to denial of the equality before law or the equal protection as given to the Citizens of India under Article 14 of the Constitution of India. Mr. Goyal added that jail inmates are not in an equal position in comparison to others to operate their bank accounts in exchanging or depositing their demonetised currencies. Since the prisoners are not an in-equal status in exchanging or depositing their demonized cash in hands, they should be provided with some special procedure or mode which could facilitate them in exchanging or depositing their specified older currencies.
Since as on date nothing has been done for the inmates , total 11 inmates of Guwahati Central Jail approached Gauhati High Court by way filing of writ petition seeking direction to the Central Government, State Government, Reserve Bank & Jail Authorities to make arrangements to allow the petitioners or any other victims to visit their respective banks and/or to go on parole for a few days so that they may visit their respective banks to operate their accounts and put a proper address of their ill fated demonetised money available their cash in hands and for further direction to Reserve Bank to provide facilities or arrangements by way of visit by officials of the respective banks in which the petitioners hold their accounts and collect the demonetised money available with inmates.
Alongwith Mr. Goyal, Mr. Arunabh Choudhury , Advocate is also appearing for the inmates before the High Court.