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Goan, held with Rs 500 notes, still in Nepal jail

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panjim

A Goan youth is still in jail in Nepal for possessing Indian Rs 500 notes.

His two friends, who have been released, said that those crossing the border are not informed that carrying the notes is a crime there. "We are not criminals carrying fake notes. We carried real notes out of ignorance," said Gaurish Shirodkar, a 22-year-old college dropout who reached Goa last week, after 12 days behind bars and fighting in the supreme court for his friends' release.

Working as a part-time marketing executive at a beach club, Gaurish, along with 24-year-old Darshan Vaingankar and 25-year-old Shekhar Chari, were arrested at Thankot checkpost on August 11, with seven, 35 and 100 notes each of Rs 500 denomination, totalling Rs 71,000.

Accumulating the money through 'hard work' - his part-time job and garment trade - Gaurish decided to go to Kathmandu to purchase quality garments at cheaper rates, to double his savings. He has lost everything today, with his hard-earned money lying in Nepal's coffers.

"Neither tourist information centres nor any authority at the border checkpost at Sonali in Uttar Pradesh informed us about the law in Nepal," said Gaurish disgustedly. As Chari was carrying 100 such 'banned' notes, he was sentenced to two month' imprisonment, while Darshan was released on September 11, after spending a month in a jail for carrying 35 notes.

In a bid to stop smuggling of fake Indian currency notes into Nepal, it was mutually decided to ban the notes from July 16. But its thoughtless implementation made innocent people victims.

"There was no help from the Indian embassy till the news appeared in local newspapers, including Kathmandu Post ," said Gaurish.

He was more thankful to local journalists there, who tried for their release, besides advocate Ram Kumar Shrestha, who knocked at the supreme court's doors free of cost.

"The police at the checkpost and officials of the revenue investigation department also sympathised with us, but had no option when the Kathmandu zilla adalat sent us to Charkhal jail at Dillibazar," said Gaurish. He was then introduced to Shrestha.

Arguing for two hours in Nepal's supreme court on August 28, along with another lawyer, they objected to the ban on any foreign currency in violation of the Currency Act. It was also argued how anybody could be punished for carrying banned notes, reduced to a piece of paper, having no value.

The supreme court directed them to approach the appellate court (high court). Shrestha is preparing papers to help Gaurish get his hard-earned money released.

As the embassy in Kathmandu has helped them monetarily to travel back (Darshan is yet to arrive), Gaurish is planning to approach the central authorities through local Bharatiya Janata Party parliamentarian Shripad Naik. Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha, running a coalition with the BJP, had also agreed to help, but no steps have been taken.

Indians with real notes are still filling Kathmandu's jails. Said Gaurish, "While leaving, another 20-year-old boy from Sikkim joined us in jail for 15 days. He had gone there to meet his sister, with Rs 4500.''

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