Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Controversial Karnataka High Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran, who refused to go on leave, was shunted to the Sikkim High Court Friday.
The decision was taken by the Supreme Court collegium consisting of Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan, Justice SH Kapadia, RV Raveendran and Dalveer Bhandari.
The proposal of shifting the controversial Karnataka High Court Justice is being sent to the Centre for approval of the President.
The collegium took the decision in the light of reports that the judicial work of the Karnataka High Court was being affected as Dinakaran was not been performing any judicial work since December last.
Reports further claimed that the apex court collegium has also cleared the name of the acting chief justice of the Delhi High Court Justice Madan B Lokur to be appointed as the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court.
The collegium has also recommended the name of the senior-most judge of the Jharkhand High Court MY Eqbal as the new chief justice of the Madras High Court. He will succeed Justice HL Gokhale, who has been recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court.
59-year-old Dinakaran has not been performing judicial functions after Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari admitted a motion in December seeking his removal on charges of corruption, land-grab and abuse of judicial office.
Allegations listed in the impeachment motion against Justice Dinakaran included possessing wealth disproportionate to known sources of income, unlawfully securing five housing board plots in the name of his wife and two daughters, entering into benami transactions, and acquiring and possessing agricultural holdings beyond ceiling limit.
Other allegations related to illegal encroachment on government and public property to deprive dalits and poor of their livelihood, violation of human rights of dalits and poor and destruction of evidence during official enquiry.
First Published: Friday, April 09, 2010, 11:31