NGO gets SC nod to assist in Dinakaran probe

Prabhakar Rao Voruganti

Express News Service

First Published : 19 May 2011 03:18:37 AM IST

Last Updated : 19 May 2011 08:23:14 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Senior counsel U Lalith, appearing for eminent jurist P P Rao, made a spirited defence of the latter by saying that Rao had never handed over a complaint to the then Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan against Sikkim High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran.

And he did not lead the delegation that had handed over the complaint. It is a fact that he had participated in a seminar, Lalith told a Vacation Bench comprising Justice G S Singhvi and Justice Chandrasmauli Kumar Prasad.

The Bench was hearing a writ petition filed by Dinakaran challenging the order of the 3-member committee constituted by the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha declining the withdrawal of P P Rao from the panel.

Meanwhile, the Bench permitted an NGO to assist panel in its ongoing inquiry against Dinakaran. The Bench allowed civil society Forum for Judicial Accountability’s plea after it contended that earlier it had been allowed to assist the inquiry committee during the impeachment process of Justice V Ramaswamy of the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court judge Justice Aftab Alam, senior advocate P P Rao and the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court Justice J S Khehar are the members of the panel.

Justice Dinakaran moved the apex court challenging the ongoing probe against him by the panel alleging that it had exceeded its jurisdiction in probing charges of judicial misconduct and corruption against him. On this, the apex court issued notice and stayed the inquiry by the panel.

“I drafted the memorandum. It was touched upon by other senior counsel. When Dinakaran met me at my residence in December, I told him that there should be a public inquiry in which he should be exonerated.”

http://expressbuzz.com/nation/ngo-gets-sc-nod-to-assist-in-dinakaran-probe/275771.html