Former Sikkim High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran has told the Rajya Sabha-appointed panel that impeachment proceedings against him are irrelevant after his resignation and cited Parliament’s decision to drop the move against Calcutta High Court judge Justice Soumitra Sen.
Asserting that the proceedings have now become infructuous and “functuous officio” irrelevant, Justice Dinakaran also charged the committee with having a “pre-disposed” bias against him.
In a letter addressed to the Registrar of the Committee on Wednesday, Justice Dinakaran maintained that any further proceedings against him by the panel would be “illegal,” “improper,” and “contrary to law.”
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Lok Sabha dropped the impeachment proceedings against Justice Sen after he resigned just days after Rajya Sabha impeached him.
Justice Dinakaran’s letter came in the wake of the notice issued to him on August 19 by the three-member panel to ascertain his views as to what would be the effect of his resignation on the impeachment proceedings.
The panel headed by Supreme Court judge Justice Aftab Alam had issued notice to Justice Dinakaran after the Chennai-based advocate R Vaigai of Forum of Judicial Accountability in an application sought continuation of the proceedings against the former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.
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The committee which was scheduled to meet on Saturday at Justice Alam’s residence, however, cancelled its sitting for an unspecified reason. Attorney General G. E. Vahanvati was scheduled to assist the panel in today’s meeting
However, informed sources said that the meeting was not held as one of the committee members and Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court Justice J. S. Khehar was in the process of being elevated to the Supreme Court and his warrant of appointment from the President was expected shortly.