The Indian parliament’s top lawyer, Gopal Krishna Menon, has been charged with violating the Constitution by seeking to create a constitutional charter in his bid to amend the country’s existing constitution.
The charge, which is part of a slew of pending cases, comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to meet the opposition Congress and its chief ministers in the new year.
In a separate case, former finance minister K. Ramesh Bhattacharya has been appointed as a special secretary to a government body that regulates the banking sector, a move that could have ramifications for the bank industry and other sectors.
The government is also facing legal challenges over a slew Ofcom rules that limit its ability to regulate the internet.
The Supreme Court has also ordered that the government’s plans for setting up a new regulator will not affect net neutrality, which ensures that internet service providers (ISPs) treat all websites equally.
The country’s largest bank, HDFC, said on Wednesday it would not open accounts in India.
The Reserve Bank of India, which has said it will review the rules governing banks, has also said it would continue to issue banknotes with lower denominations.
The RBI has said its policy is based on its experience of issuing banknotes to small banks, which have had limited use of them.
