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Proof against Dinakaran: Govt
A central government appointed probe panel has found “sufficient evidence” of land grabbing against the controversial Karnataka High Court Chief Justice, P.D. Dinakaran, report Nagendar Sharma & Satyen Mohapatra.
A central government appointed probe panel has found “sufficient evidence” of land grabbing against the controversial Karnataka High Court Chief Justice, P.D. Dinakaran.
The three-member high level team from the Survey of India has completed its two-month field investigation in Justice Dinakaran’s native village in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu, and is likely to submit its report by month-end, HT has learnt.
“There is sufficient evidence on the ground level to prove land grabbing in Kaverirajapuram village of the judge,” highly placed sources said.
Top revenue officials of Tamil Nadu government have handed over land records to the probe panel. “State Land Reforms Commissioner, Tiruvallur District Collector and the District Forest Officer have all confirmed land encroachments,” sources said.
The Department of Science and Technology had directed the Survey of India in December last year to investigate the allegations against Justice Dinakaran and submit a “fact finding report”.
The probe panel is headed by Major General Siva Kumar, with Sanjay Kumar and Dharmaraj as its members.
The government’s decision to send a probe team to Justice Dinakaran’s village was widely criticised by the opposition parties and top jurists. They had termed the move as “an infringement on the rights of the parliament, since an impeachment motion against the judge had already been admitted in Rajya Sabha.”
The government, however, stuck to its decision, saying the decision had been taken earlier, following a request from the Chief Justice of India to find out the factual position.
The probe panel report is likely to be based on satellite images of the village land, revenue records submitted by the state officials and statements of villagers and the version of Justice Dinakaran. The total area being mapped is about 500 acres, which will cover the entire area under dispute.
The survey team has taken the help of Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Agency for satellite images and used the Geographic Positioning System (GPS) and other instruments to match it with the actual situation on the ground. “Plants, houses, pond, poles in the images are exactly at the place of their real existence.”
