Quote:
Originally Posted by hothatchaway - You may not be but those accepting old Rs 500/1000 notes after midnight of 8th Nov are. Let that be very clear and it will be good if you could also explain to those who think its still perfectly kosher. |
This quote was in response to my statement that it is not illegal even today to accept the demonetised notes, for the reasons I have said so many times here, without any rebuttal from anyone based on existing laws and rules. In fact, every time I have asked to be told about exactly how it is illegal, by quoting a section from a law or a rule made under a law, there has been a thunderous silence.
And few understand the meaning of legal tender and what it means for a note to not be legal tender.
Here now in the quote above is a new word used with the hand waving: kosher.
Interesting word and it means the food that the Jews are allowed to eat. Why? Because of their religion, which more than any other religion is a religion of laws and practices. Laws written down thousands of years ago and practices as derived from the law by the rabbis - akin to case law that is the result of rulings by the courts in a country like India. What is kosher is specified in great detail in the holy book of the Jews - the Old Testament portion of what the Christians know as the Bible. Nothing other than what is written in the Old Testament, or by the subsequent rulings of rabbis on the subject, can be called not kosher.
So when casually saying this is not kosher, please specify like a Jew would by pointing to a law in his holy book or judicial ruling by a rabbi in the context of non kosher food, where accepting these notes is said to be not kosher. A news report, or a Minister saying this isn't good enough; for all the harm the British did to the country, they did us the big favour of leaving behind a country of laws, not one of firmans, decrees or dictats by anyone, no matter how powerful. Or just by the fact that everyone says so. That is mobocracy.
This whole matter of banning things in an unlawful way is getting out of control.
Moving on: even granting for a very hypothetical minute that the notes are legally banned, how would you react to this report in the Times of India?
The report is headlined: Rural calm away from city storm.
Quote from the report:
All this calm is because in most places, the demonetised Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes are still good here. Most traders, restaurant owners and even locals do not flash a look of disbelief when you hand over one of the notes that were discontinued post November 8.
"What is the point in panicking? These notes are still money, at least till December end. We are not turning down customers who come to eat here just because they have old notes" said Hemant Kadam, owner of a popular restaurant....
" I have nothing to fear, I will walk straight to a bank with these notes and deposit them in my account. Why should people go hungry because of an announcement" declared another restaurant owner.
Traders of agricultural commodities, construction materials and retailers are also willingly accepting discontinued notes. Their only condition is that a buyer must not seek change, as it is in short supply.
Unquote
Do you seriously think anyone will go to these sensible people and wag their fingers at them saying: Not kosher?!

Not I, for sure. I would go the restaurant for a meal and thank the owner for thinking straight, for being honest as well as civic minded.
Or, even more, do you think some one will round them up and put them in jail?!
Someone has already said this here: Those that do not learn from history are doomed to see it repeated.
As a concerned Indian, I hold no brief for any politician. But I would hate to see what may happen before all of the history gets repeated.