The Centre on Tuesday fully backed the order of impeachment inquiry committee framing 14 charges of alleged corruption and misconduct against Sikkim high court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran in the Supreme Court hearing his plea for quashing the same on the ground that it violated the provisions of the Judges Inquiry Act. At the same
time, the inquiry committee counsel Udai Lalit read out the charges against Justice Dinakaran in detail stating that they were framed after collecting the supporting material, including records from income tax authorities, Tamil Nadu revenue department, state housing board and bank documents to show how he had attempted to “convert his black money into white by masquerading it as agriculture income” from his 240 acres farm land in Kaverirajapuram.
Despite strong objection from Justice Dinakaran’s counsel Amarendra Sharan that Centre has no role in the matter and the Additional Solicitor General P.P. Malhotra could not make any submission, a bench of Justices G.S. Singhvi and C.K. Prasad allowed him to argue to present the government’s point of view.
Malhotra said that under the Judges Inquiry Act’s section 3, the committee was permitted to probe the matter further on the basis of the charges mentioned in the impeachment motion to collect additional material and re-frame charges.
Earlier, committee’s counsel read out the 14 charges in graphic detail to explain how the wealth was amassed by him by unfair means.