New Delhi, Dec 16 (IANS): The Supreme Court on Friday refused to pass any interim order extending exemptions permitting the use of scrapped currency notes for essential services, even medical, and left it to the Centre to take the call.

Observing that the Centre was sensitive enough to the situation, a bench headed by the Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur said the government will consider and take appropriate decision from time-to-time to ease the hardships being faced by the people.

While refusing to pass any interim order, the apex court referred to a larger bench of five judges the matter of a batch of petitions challenging the November 8 demonetisation decision of the government and the issues arising out of it.

The Supreme Court also stayed proceedings before various high courts and subordinate courts on the petitions arising out of the demonetisation, and directed that, henceforth, any petition challenging the November 8 decision or issues related to it could only be moved before the apex court.

Thereby, the SC barred all courts in the country from entertaining any petition challenging demonetisation.