Seventy-six Rajya Sabha members on Monday formally petitioned Chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari, seeking the removal of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran on several grounds that include corruption and land-grabbing charges.
Cutting across party lines, members of the Left, BJP, SP, JD(U), TDP, AIADMK and the BSP submitted the notice on the impeachment motion. A Rajya Sabha Secretariat release said the matter “is being examined as per the provisions of the Act and the rules framed thereunder.”
The motion was presented to Mr. Ansari in his chamber by Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat of the CPI(M), D. Raja of the CPI, Arun Jaitley and S.S. Ahluwalia of the BJP, Ram Gopal Yadav and Amar Singh of the SP, K. Malaichamy of the AIADMK and Shivanand Tiwari of the JD(U).
Mr. Ahluwalia said the notice mentioned the charges against Mr. Dinakaran: alleged accumulation of wealth beyond known sources of income; possession of plots in favour of relatives; ‘benami’ transactions; acquisition of agricultural holding beyond the ceiling imposed by the Tamil Nadu government; illegal occupation of government property, depriving Dalits of land; violation of their human rights; destruction of evidence; obstructing officials
