Dinakaran quits as Sikkim CJ
Sikkim High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, facing impeachment proceedings on charges of land grab and corruption, on Friday resigned saying that his social background was responsible for his misfortune.
In a two-page letter sent to President Pratibha Patil, Justice Dinakaran, a Dalit, expressed lack of faith in the Inquiry Committee which was expected to resume hearing on charges against him from Saturday.
“I have a sneaking suspicion that my misfortune was because of the circumstances of my birth in the socially oppressed and underprivileged section of society. Integrity of members of these communities who attain high office is always baselessly questioned through innuendo, sneering and spreading of false rumours while the privileged are treated by vested interests as embodiment of all virtues,” he said. In a hard-hitting statement, Justice Dinakaran, formerly chief justice of Karnataka High Court, said, “I have been very calculatively targeted at the instance of vested interests.”
Justice Dinakaran, who is to retire in May next year, recently suffered a setback after the Supreme Court dismissed his different petitions, challenging charges framed against him and the decision of the Inquiry Committee to allow a Chennai-based NGO to record evidence before it.
Notably, the Inquiry Committee headed by Justice Aftab Alam, a Supreme Court judge and comprising Justice J S Khehar, the chief justice of Karnataka High Court, was expected to resume hearing on charges against Justice Dinakaran from Saturday.
No fair chance
He claimed that he did not expect fair opportunity from the Inquiry Committee set up under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, by the chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
“Before demitting office, I must confess with a very heavy heart that in spite of my constitutional position, I have been denied fair opportunity to defend myself and my reputation by the Judges Inquiry Committee,” he added.
