16 corruption charges slapped on Justice Dinakaran

Sixteen charges of corruption and irregularities have been slapped by a Rajya Sabha constituted panel against Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court Justice P D Dinakaran, who is facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament. A three member committee comprising Supreme Court Justice Aftab Alam, Karnataka High Court Justice K S Khehar and eminent jurist P P Roy issued the charge sheet to Justice Dinakaran and has sought his response by 9th April.
AIR correspondent quoting sources reports the charges against him included possession of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, illegal encroachment on public property and land belonging to Dalits and other weaker sections, five Tamil Nadu Housing Board plots in favour of wife and two daughters, benami transactions, and destruction of evidence. This apart, Justice Dinakaran has been accused of resorting to irregular and dishonest administrative actions by fixing rosters of judges to facilitate dishonest judicial decisions while he was the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. Dinakaran has been granted the liberty to engage a lawyer of his choice to defend himself. Justice Dinakaran was recommended for appointment as a Supreme Court judge in August 2009 but the move was stalled following the allegations against him. The motion for Dinakaran’s removal was admitted in the Rajya Sabha on December 17, 2009 following which Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari constituted the panel to probe the allegations. While slapping charges against Dinakaran, the panel took into consideration various material furnished by the Income Tax department and Tamil Nadu government to justify the allegations against him.