Dinakaran plea hearing today

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear beleaguered Sikkim high court chief justice PD Dinakaran's petition alleging bias against the Rajya Sabha-appointed panel probing charges of misconduct and corruption against him. HT reports.

The Supreme Court will on Monday hear beleaguered Sikkim high court chief justice PD Dinakaran's petition alleging bias against the Rajya Sabha-appointed panel probing charges of misconduct and corruption against him. A vacation bench headed by justice GS Singhvi will decide on the plea.

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The SC on April 29 stayed the impeachment proceedings on justice Dinakaran's petition in which the judge has expressed apprehension over the inclusion of senior advocate PP Rao in the panel. It asked the three-member panel headed by SC judge Aftab Alam to respond to the petition.

In response, the committee has already filed certain documents and has sought an effective adjudication in the matter.

Justice Dinakaran, (61), wants Rao to recuse himself from the panel as the senior advocate had earlier campaigned against the judge's elevation to the SC. Rao was part of the delegation that met the then CJI KG Balakrishnan in 2009 to stall justice Dinakaran's elevation.

The judge claimed in his petition Rao's inclusion in the probe-panel indicated the possibility of bias. "If there is reasonable likelihood of bias, it is in accordance with natural justice and common sense that the judge likely to be so biased should be incapacitated from sitting." the petition stated.