“Ask Dinakaran to keep off court or quit”

Keeping up the pressure, the Karnataka chapter of the Forum for Judicial Accountability, Bangalore, has urged the Supreme Court to advise High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran, who is facing allegations, to either refrain from presiding over judicial proceedings or resign forthwith.

As Justice Dinakaran was continuing to hear matters and getting cases posted before him, the Supreme Court collegium should transfer him to some other High Court, the forum said in its letter to the Chief Justice of India on Tuesday.

The forum recalled that judicial work was not assigned to Justice V. Ramaswamy when an impeachment motion was moved against him.

Recently, judicial work was withdrawn from Justice Soumitra Sen of the Kolkata High Court pending a final report on certain allegations made against him.

Meanwhile, several advocates, many of them youth, said they would urge Advocates Association of Bangalore president, K.N. Putte Gowda to convene another meeting to discuss the latest allegations against Justice Dinakaran.

However, senior advocates counselled patience, saying the Supreme Court collegium was likely to take a decision shortly.

On Tuesday, Justice Dinakaran did not sit on the Bench though the court had issued the cause list for the day.

Some of the matters listed for hearing before the court of the Chief Justice were transferred to the court of Justice V. Gopala Gowda.