SC dismisses Dinakaran’s fresh plea

New Delhi, July 19: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed Sikkim High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran’s plea for restraining the Campaign for Judicial Accountability(CJA) from participating in the inquiry by a Rajya Sabha-appointed panel into his alleged corrupt practices and misconduct.

“The petition is dismissed,” a bench of Justices G S Singhvi and C K Prasad said in a terse order after hearing Dinakaran’s counsel for over half an hour at a special hearing.

Senior counsel Amarender Sharan and Ashok Bhan, appearing for Dinakaran, submitted before the bench that the CJA had no locus standi and should not be allowed to lead evidence or particpate in the inquiry.

The counsel cited two apex court judgements to claim that third parties have no right of participation nor shall they be allowed to participate in impeachment proceedings.

The CJA had been in the forefront seeking removal of Dinakaran for his alleged corrupt practices.

On July 5, the bench had castigated Dinakaran for adopting delaying tactics and rejected his plea to invalidate the inquiry.

The bench had, however, asked the Rajya Sabha chairman and Vice President Hamid Ansari to replace one of the three members of the panel senior advocate P P Rao after Dinakaran accused him of bias.

—–PTI—–