SC collegium drops Justice Dinakaran's name for promotion

The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan has conveyed to the Union Government that it has decided to drop the name of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran from the list of those recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court for the time being. 



The decision of Supreme Court Collegium has cleared the decks for elevation of four others to the apex court namely Justice A K Patnayak (Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court), Justice Tirath Singh Thakur, Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court), Justice S S Nijjar (Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court) and Justice K S Radhakrishna ( Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court). 



The name of Justice Dinakaran has been dropped in view of the allegations of corruption and land encroachment against him. 



Justice Dinakaran was in the dock when five eminent Jurists wrote letters to President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, CJI K G Balakrishnan and Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily appealing to them not to promote Justice Dinakaran in view of the allegations against him. 



The CJI conducted an informal discreet inquiry and also sought report from Tamil Nadu government and the allegations of land encroachment were confirmed when District Collector of Thiruvallur, Palani Kumar, in Tamil Nadu in his report sent to the Supreme Court confirmed that Justice Dinakaran had encroached on 197 acres of public land illegally. 



Justice Dinakaran, however, rubbished the report and denied the allegation against him. 



According to CJI K G Balakrishnan, the decision of the Supreme Court Collegium taken last week has already been conveyed to the Central Government that not to promote Justice Dinakaran till probe against him was completed. 



Mr Moily has also given ample indications of the mood of the Government when he told media ‘nothing will be done which tarnishes the image of the Judiciary.’ With this decision of the SC Collegium, the Government can now recommend to the President to issue warrant of appointment to elevate four others to the apex court.