Justice Dinakaran not to hold court

BANGALORE - Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran has become the first chief justice of a high court in the country to stay away from judicial proceedings in the face of allegations of land grab.

The high court’s registrar general, R.B. Budhihal late Wednesday issued a notification stating that Dinakaran will not take up judicial matters until further orders. The notification did not assign any reason.

Dinakaran will, however, continue to carry out administrative duties as the chief justice.

Land grab allegations against Dinakaran surfaced after the Supreme Court collegium decided to recommend his appointment as judge of the apex court.

The charges were levelled by a section of lawyers in Tamil Nadu, where Dinakaran practiced law before appointment as judge of the high court of that state in December 1996.

Dinakaran has denied the charges, which include encroachment of government land in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district.

Born May 9, 1950, Dinakaran took over as the Karnataka High Court chief justice on Aug 8, 2008.

Welcoming Dinakaran staying away from judicial work, the Bangalore Advocates Association said he should refrain from administrative work as well.

“It is inappropriate for him to continue with administrative work as the chief justice of the high court,” association president K.N. Putte Gowda told IANS Thursday.

Gowda said Dinakaran “should have taken the decision to stay away from judicial matters from the day the association demanded it”.

The association had passed a resolution on Sep 17 urging Dinakaran not sit on the bench and hear cases till he is cleared of all allegations.

“He is the first high court chief justice in the country to stay away from judicial proceedings in the light of allegations against him,” Gowda said.

Dinakaran was a legal adviser and standing counsel for Pondicherry University, several Tamil Nadu government-run corporations such as State Marketing Corporation, Sugar Corporation and Milk Producers Federation.

Dinakaran was also standing counsel for several religious institutions, such as Churches of South India, Madras Diocese and Coimbatore Diocese and Sri Subramania Swami Temple at Turuttani in Tamil Nadu.

He was additional central government standing counsel at the Madras High Court from 1992 till appointment as judge of that court in 1996.

As judge of the Madras High Court, Dinakaran disposed of 72,795 cases, according to his profile given by the Karnataka High Court.