Dinakaran moves SC against impeachment

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Sikkim high court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran, against whom the impeachment proceedings have reached a crucial phase with the three-member judicial committee set to examine the chargesheet, on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court challenging the legality of the proceedings followed by the panel.

Justice Dinakiaran, who was transferred to Sikkim from Karnataka after Rajya Sabha chairman and vice-president Hamid Ansari had admitted the impeachment petition against him, questioned the functioning of the panel, headed by Justice Aftab Alam of the apex court.

The other members of the panel include Karnataka HC Chief Justice K.S. Khehar and senior advocate P.P. Rao. The panel last week had rejected the plea of the judge for removal of Mr Rao, whom he had accused of “bias” against him.

According to the sources, the committee had taken a serious view of Justice Dinakaran raking up such issues when it was all set to commence the arguments on each of the 16 charges mentioned in the chargesheet served on him and was waiting for his reply.

In his petition, Justice Dinakaran has raked up the issue of Mr Rao’s presence again, claiming that the senior lawyer’s “bias” against him was proved form the fact that he was the part of a lawyers’ delegation that had called upon the then CJI K.G. Balakrishnan in 2009 opposing his elevation to the apex court.

Justice Dinakaran’s elevation to the SC was stalled due to strong protests by lawyers from TN and Karnataka on the face of allegation of corruption against him, which ultimately led to filing of impeachment petition by them with the RS chairman.