Bombay HC asks RBI to consider issue of salary payment to teachers

The Bombay High Court on Monday asked the RBI to consider the issue of payment of salaries to aided school teachers since it is disbursed through district cooperative banks which have been prohibited from depositing and exchanging old currency notes.

The Mumbai, Solapur, Nashik and Pune District Central Cooperative Banks had approached the high court challenging the RBI circular of November 14, restricting them from exchanging or depositing old currency notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, which were declared as illegal tender under the government's demonetisation move on November 8. Solapur co-operative bank counsel V M Thorat today informed the court that the bank receives around Rs 95 crore from the state government for salaries of teachers in aided schools, but due to the circular the bank is not able to disburse the amount. A division bench of Justices A S Oka and Anuja Prabhudessai asked the Reserve Bank to consider the issue.

"RBI needs to consider this issue. We cannot take this matter up on merits as the Supreme Court is already seized of the main contentions raised in the petitions, but this particular issue about teachers' salaries can be looked into," Justice Oka said. "It is common knowledge that teachers of aided schools get their salaries from cooperative banks. We want to know how teachers will get their salaries now," the court said.

Thorat informed the bench today that the banks have filed application in the apex court seeking clarification on whether the high court can hear the matter. "The application along with the transfer petition filed by the Union government seeking for all petitions filed on the demonetisation issue to be heard by SC itself is posted for hearing on December 9," the counsel said. The high court then adjourned the cooperative banks' petitions to December 14.