New Delhi, April 8:Government today indicated that Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament, will have to go on leave as advised by the Supreme Court Collegium, holding that he is not above the law.
“The hand of law is quite long enough to catch anyone. I don’t think Justice Dinarakan is above the law, or he is beyond the reach of the law,” Law Minister M Veerappa Moily told reporters here. He was asked about the Government’s view on Justice Dinakaran not proceeding on leave despite being asked by the apex court panel to do so last week.
Moily refused to say anything further on the issue.
The decision was taken to ask Justice Dinakaran to go on leave as several representations were received that the work of the High Court has been hit as he had not been performing any judicial work since December last.The Collegium has also cleared the name of the Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court Justice Madan B Lokur to be appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.
The 59-year-old Karnataka High Court Chief Justice has not been performing judicial functions after Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari admitted a motion in December seeking his removal on charges of corruption, land-grab and abuse of judicial office. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
After the Collegium’s decision, senior advocate Shanti Bhushan had said Justice Dinakaran can defy the Collegium’s advice to go on leave. He said an acting chief justice can only assume charge if the chief justice proceeds on leave.Sources said that an acting chief justice can be in place in Karnataka even when Justice Dinakaran goes on leave.
–Agencies