Supreme Court to pronounce verdict on Dinakaran today

The Supreme Court will today pronounce its verdict on Sikkim high court chief justice P D Dinakaran's petition challenging the impeachment proceedings against him for alleged corrupt practices and misconduct.

The Supreme Court will on Tuesday pronounce its verdict on Sikkim high court chief justice P D Dinakaran's petition challenging the impeachment proceedings against him for alleged corrupt practices and misconduct.

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A bench of justices G S Singhvi and C K Prasad had reserved the order on June 1 after hearing for over five days on Dinakaran's petition which was opposed by the government and the Rajya Sabha appointed panel.

Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari had in January 2010 constituted a three-member panel comprising Supreme Court judge justice Aftab Alam, Karnataka high court chief justice J S Khehar and senior advocate P P Rao to examine the 12 charges framed in the notice of motion adopted by the House.

Justice Dinakaran had challenged the proceedings on the ground that the panel had framed additional charges and was also independently conducting investigations and collecting material against him which, according to the judge, was not permissible under law. He has also sought recusal of senior counsel P P Rao.

The apex court had on April 29 stayed the probe by the Rajya Sabha-appointed panel after Dinakaran expressed apprehension of a biased inquiry due to Rao's presence in the panel and that the committee had exceeded its jurisdiction.