Reacting to media reports about the quantum of demonetised currency that has been returned to the banks, the Reserve Bank of India today said such estimates may not be correct.


The RBI said the aggregating of accounting entries made at the various currency chests still requires to be reconciled with the actual cash balances in order to eliminate accounting errors and double counting.


"We are trying to expeditiously complete the counting process and will release figures of notes tendered after that," the central bank said.


The RBI said it is reconciling junked notes tendered during the 50-day period with physical cash balances to eliminate any accounting errors.


On Wednesday, a PTI report said the RBI is believed to have received deposits close to Rs 15 lakh crore of the estimated Rs 15.4 lakh crore worth of junked Rs 500 and Rs 1000 currency notes that were in circulation from the 50-day demonetisation exercise that ended on December 30.


When asked if Rs 15 lakh crore has come back to the system till December 30, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said, "I don't know the number."