Judges meet but no decision on Dinakaran

The Supreme Court collegium on Friday held its meeting to discuss the issue relating to the recommendation for elevation of Karnataka Chief Justice P D Dinakaran in the wake of demands for review of the decision.

The country’s top five judges (collegium) met on Friday to discuss their widely criticised recommendation to promote controversial Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran to the Supreme Court — but took no decision.

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The collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) K G Balakrishnan, is understood to have discussed “current affairs,” court sources said.

On persistent queries by reporters after the meeting, an official message conveyed from the CJI’s residence was: “No decision has been taken”.

The recommendation to promote Justice Dinakaran and four other judges to the Supreme Court is now being examined by the Law Ministry.

Top jurists, who first objected to the proposed promotion of Justice Dinakaran last week, citing serious allegations of corruption against him, took their battle to the government on Friday.

At a meeting with Law Minister M Veerappa Moily, constitutional expert Anil Devan, former law minister Shanti Bhushan and senior advocate Kamini Jaiswal demanded that the allegations against the controversial judge be probed by the Lokayukta of Karnataka.

“The best option would be to hand over the probe to the Lokayukta of Karnataka, (retired) Justice Santosh Hegde, who is a former Supreme Court judge of high repute,” Devan said.

Bhushan said they apprised Moily of the “outburst of anger in the legal fraternity against the recommendation to promote him (Justice Dinakaran)”.

“Though the collegium did not consult the two serving Supreme Court judges, who were chief justices of the Madras High Court when Dinakaran was a judge there, the government should rectify the mistake by doing so now,” Bhushan said.

Moily refused comment on the controversy. “This is a very sensitive issue concerning an appointment to the country’s top court. I can’t speak in public.”