New Delhi, Sept. 28 -- The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the legal basis and character of charges proposed on commercial UPI transactions above Rs 2,000, asking who ultimately receives the payment and whether the amount can be characterised as a fee.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana sought responses from the Central government, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on a plea challenging the two Gazette notifications that announced the charges and the process for such charges.

Justice Bagchi, during the hearing, questioned the respondents on the nature of the levy and asked, "Who gets the payment? Who gets the fee?", t...