Dinakaran meets CJI, says Collector’s report is false

Against the backdrop of the Union Law Ministry rejecting his proposed elevation to the Supreme Court, Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran rushed to the capital and met Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan at his residence on Friday night.

Accompanied by his wife, Dr. Vinodini, Justice Dinakaran was understood to have given a further explanation to the CJI with regard to the allegations against him of land encroachment as reflected in the two reports of the Collector of Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu.

According to informed sources, he is understood to have reiterated that the Collector’s findings were false and erroneous and that there was no encroachment.

On Saturday, Justice Dinakaran met a few other Supreme Court judges and explained his point of view.

The sources said the Supreme Court collegium would consider the Centre’s report, refusing to accept its recommendation to elevate Justice Dinakaran, and take a final decision, within a week, whether to drop him or not.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Bar Association president M.N. Krishnamani has welcomed the government’s decision.

“Now that the name of Justice Dinakaran had been rejected by the Central government after due application of mind to the serious allegations against him, the collegium should put a full stop to this issue by dropping him once and for all,” Mr. Krishnamani said in a statement.

Pointing out that the collegium judges’ only stand was that when they recommended his name, these allegations were not there and they would not have suggested his name had the charges been brought to their notice before the recommendation, the statement said: “Now that the government has rejected Justice Dinakaran’s name, giving valid reasons, and there is a definite finding by the Collector as to one of the allegations that he is surely guilty of the same, the question of keeping his name pending any more does not arise. There is no setback to the judiciary if a wrong name is dropped and on the other hand, it would be a feather in its cap.”