The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Independent submits deposit in one-rupee coins

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 24, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Independent submits deposit in one-rupee coins

By Karthik Subramanian

CHENNAI, APRIL 23. Kuppal G. Devados says he did it to merely find out the real value of one rupee coin.

The 49-year-old resident of Mandaveli filed his nomination for the South Chennai Lok Sabha constituency on Friday. Mr. Devados and his supporters carried the election deposit of Rs. 10,000 in five gunny bags, each containing 2,000 one rupee coins. The bags were neatly sewed and bright blue letters on them said Re. 1/- 2000.

Mr. Devados, who contested the Mayoral election in 2001 and runs a vehicle rental business, said he got the coins from the Mylapore branch of Indian Overseas Bank. The Returning Officer, D. P. Yadav, who received the application around 1 p.m. at the Chennai Corporation headquarters, was taken by surprise by the mode of payment. "How can we count all the coins when the deadline for nomination is 3 p.m.," he asked. There were also other independent candidates waiting to file nominations.

But Mr. Devados refused to budge. "There is nothing wrong in paying by coins. I am willing to wait if your subordinates want to count the coins," he argued.

Mr. Yadav then accepted his nomination but requested the candidate to come again in the evening with currency notes in lieu of the coins. The official told reporters later that even a single coin less would mean disqualification.

By 3.30 p.m., Mr. Devados did not turn up and the Corporation officials were looking at the daunting task of counting all the coins. "As such we have enough work on hands. This is only aggravating our task," one of the office assistants said.

A lot of people, however, heaved a sigh of relief when Mr. Devados turned up around 5 p.m. with currency notes for Rs. 10,000. He carried his moneybags amidst media glare.

Later in the evening, he exchanged his one rupee coins at tea stalls and petty shops at Mandaveli for currency notes.

"The government might not know the value of the one rupee coin, but people surely do," he said.

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