Unknown Facts of Gandhi Picture in currency note
The Centre and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will have to reply within eight weeks why currency notes in the country can't have photographs of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose or any other important personality, the Calcutta high court directed on Friday.
The bench of acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty was hearing a PIL by city resident Prithwish Dasgupta.
On February 23, Dasgupta wrote to the Union finance minsitry and the RBI governor, praying for 'incorporation of the pictorial representation of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on banknotes of all denominations or in the alternative removal of the pictorial representation of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi from banknotes'. On receiving no response, Dasgupta moved the PIL through counsel Phiroze Edulji.
It was submitted by Edulji during hearing that: "Netaji has taken his place with the likes of Rana Pratap and Chatrapati Shivaji as a national figure in the heroic tradition. Rarely do we find somebody of the calibre of Netaji. His organizational and leadership skills need no introduction. Though Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru have garnered much of the credit for successful culmination of the Indian freedom struggle, the contribution of Netaji is no less."The petitioner submitted several documents in the court to support his claim. These include the history of the Azad Hind Bank, established in April 1944 along with photographs of its currency notes. Dasgupta also submitted a history of the Indian rupee and its evolution. "After August 15, 1957, symbols for independent India had to be chosen. At the outset it was felt that the King's portrait be replaced by a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Designs were prepared to that effect. In the final analysis, the consensus moved to the choice of the Lion Capital at Sarnath in lieu of the Gandhi portrait," it was submitted.
The bench of acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty was hearing a PIL by city resident Prithwish Dasgupta.
On February 23, Dasgupta wrote to the Union finance minsitry and the RBI governor, praying for 'incorporation of the pictorial representation of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on banknotes of all denominations or in the alternative removal of the pictorial representation of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi from banknotes'. On receiving no response, Dasgupta moved the PIL through counsel Phiroze Edulji.
It was submitted by Edulji during hearing that: "Netaji has taken his place with the likes of Rana Pratap and Chatrapati Shivaji as a national figure in the heroic tradition. Rarely do we find somebody of the calibre of Netaji. His organizational and leadership skills need no introduction. Though Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru have garnered much of the credit for successful culmination of the Indian freedom struggle, the contribution of Netaji is no less."The petitioner submitted several documents in the court to support his claim. These include the history of the Azad Hind Bank, established in April 1944 along with photographs of its currency notes. Dasgupta also submitted a history of the Indian rupee and its evolution. "After August 15, 1957, symbols for independent India had to be chosen. At the outset it was felt that the King's portrait be replaced by a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Designs were prepared to that effect. In the final analysis, the consensus moved to the choice of the Lion Capital at Sarnath in lieu of the Gandhi portrait," it was submitted.
