It was hearing the case of one Deepak Mandal, who was arrested on August 10, 2018 after a special cell team allegedly caught him near the DTC Bus Depot at Khanpur in Delhi on the night of August 9, 2018.
Mandal was charged under Sections 489B and 489C of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly possessing and attempting to circulate fake Indian currency notes. The prosecution claimed that he had brought ₹4 lakh worth of fake ₹2,000 notes to sell in exchange for ₹2 lakh in genuine currency.
According to the prosecution, a police officer, HC Manoj, acted as a decoy customer. The police prepared a dummy wad containing 98 paper cuttings of the size of ₹2,000 notes, placing one genuine ₹2,000 note at the top and another at the bottom. The wad was handed over to Manoj, who was to give it to Mandal during the deal.
The prosecution alleged that Mandal handed over two wads containing 200 fake ₹2,000 notes, worth ₹4 lakh, to the decoy customer. A further 175 fake ₹2,000 notes, worth ₹3.5 lakh, were allegedly recovered from a bag carried by Mandal.
The notes were subsequently sent to the Currency Note Press at Nashik which reported that they were counterfeit.
However, the Court found multiple discrepancies in the prosecution case and held that Mandal was entitled to the benefit of doubt.