Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, who has been accused of amassing wealth, has opted out of an official judges delegation to Australia led by Chief Justice of India.
"Justice Dinakaran has himself opted out of the trip to Australia," Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in New Delhi on Saturday.
The CJI would be leading a delegation to Australia on a "study tour" beginning from Monday.
Besides the CJI, some judges from the Supreme Court, high courts and district courts would form part of the delegation from which Justice Dinakaran has dropped out.
Dinakaran's decision comes in the backdrop of the Supreme Court's collegium meeting on Friday which discussed his elevation to the apex court.
The meeting came close on the heels of five legal luminaries asking the CJI to reconsider Dinakaran's elevation accusing the judge of amassing huge assets through questionable means, a charge denied by him.
Though the collegium discussed the issue for over 40 minutes, "No decision has been taken on the issue," said an official message sent verbally CJI's office on Friday.
Justice Dinakaran, whose elevation to the Supreme Court has been strongly opposed by the Bar, had reportedly met the CJI and denied all the allegations.
Eminent jurists Fali S Nariman, Shanti Bhushan, Ashok Desai, Ram Jethmalani and Anil Diwan have suggested that the CJI reconsider the decision of the collegium to elevate Dinakaran to the Supreme Court.
Dinakaran, against whom some eminent jurists have expressed reservations in the wake of allegations of amassing wealth, was summoned by the Chief Justice to hear his version.
The judge had reportedly denied the allegations which included acquisition of land in excess of ceiling laws in Tamil Nadu.
The allegations against Dinakaran cropped up following reports of the Supreme Court collegium clearing his name for elevation as apex court judge.
The Advocates' Association of Bangalore (AAB) had held an emergent meeting in the wake of the allegations and urged Dinakaran not to preside over the bench till he is cleared of the allegations.
A suggestion has also been made that the government order a probe by the Karnataka Lokayukta (anti-corruption watchdog). Former law minister Shanti Bhushan and constitutional expert Anil Diwan have said an alternative could be to ask Supreme court judges Markandeya Katju and A K Ganguli about Dinkaran's integrity as the two had been chief justices of the Madras High Court and he had worked under them.
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