Thane, Jun 6 (PTI) A sessions court in Thane has acquitted a 38-year-old businessman accused of attempting to deposit six counterfeit Rs 1,000 currency notes in a bank post demonetisation in 2016, noting the evidence suggests he had no prior knowledge that the notes were fake.
A copy of the order dated May 30 was made available on Friday.
Additional Sessions Judge R. S. Bhakare observed that an ordinary individual could not identify banknotes as fake with the naked eye, particularly against the backdrop of the November 2016 demonetisation period when the incident occurred.
Highlighting the inherent lack of criminal intent, the judge noted that a person with distinct knowledge of fake currency would logically avoid taking it directly to a banking institution where strict scanning protocols are in place.
“Moreover, the person who is having counterfeit notes will not go to the bank and deposit the same, where the notes are being checked through the machine. He would have used those notes in the market,” the judge stated.
The case dates back to December 9, 2016, when Nadim Shaikh visited a private bank in Thane to deposit Rs 23,000. While processing the cash, the cashier discovered six counterfeit Rs 1,000 notes via a verification machine, leading to an FIR.
However, during cross-examination, even the Investigating Officer admitted to being unable to detect the fakes by visual inspection alone.
“This evidence shows that the counterfeit notes which have been seized can not be apparently seen as counterfeit notes by the naked eye, and the ordinary person will not be able to tell whether the said currency notes are counterfeit or not.
“Hence, it cannot be said that the accused had knowledge that the said notes were counterfeit notes,” the judge stated, acquitting the accused of charges under sections 489(B) and 489(C) of the Indian Penal Code. PTI COR NSK
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