Dinakaran row: Former CJI says 'chapter' should be closed

Former CJI J S Verma on Saturday said the "chapter" dealing with recommendation for promotion of Justice P D Dinakaran to the Supreme Court should be closed as any "doubtful" person should not come up in judiciary.

Former CJI J S Verma on Saturday said the "chapter" dealing with recommendation for promotion of Justice P D Dinakaran to the Supreme Court should be closed as any "doubtful" person should not come up in judiciary.

HT Image

"The sooner the chapter is closed, it is better. It should have been closed long back," the former Chief Justice of India told PTI when his views were sought on the ongoing debate whether Dinakaran should be elevated to the apex court or not in the wake of allegations of land grab.

About Thiruvallur District Collector's report on the land grab allegations, Verma said that any "adverse finding" by the Collector is "sufficient" enough to raise doubts about a person.

"Any doubtful person should not come up in judiciary," he said on the sidelines of a function here.

To a question about a move of Opposition MPs to bring about impeachment motion in Parliament against Dinakaran, he said, "I am not concerned with politics. But the move in itself shows that something is wrong.... So he (Dinakaran) should not come up."

Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinakaran was recommended for appointment as a Supreme Court Judge by the apex court Collegium on August 27.

But it had to be put on hold following objections by top jurists over alleged land grabbing charges against Dinakaran.