Dinakaran's plea rejected by panel

 The committee, comprising Justice Aftab Alam of the Supreme Court, Karnataka High Court Chief Justice J S Khehar and senior advocate P P Rao, has asked Dinakaran to respond to the sixteen charges framed against him by April 20.

The committee, which issued the charge sheet to Dinakaran in March and asked him to respond by April 9, has made it clear that it will commence the hearing in the matter on April 25 and will not give any further adjournment.

Meanwhile, Advocate Vagai, convener of the Committee for Judicial Accountability, which is spearheading the campaign against Dinakaran, has alleged that he was indulging in delaying tactics.

The charges against Justice Dinakaran, who is facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament, include possession of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income and illegal encroachment on public property and land belonging to Dalits and other weaker sections.

He is also accused of having five Tamil Nadu Housing Board plots in the name of his wife and two daughters, benami transactions, destruction of evidence, undervaluation of sale agreements, evasion of stamp duty and illegal constructions.

Dinakaran has been granted the liberty to engage a lawyer of his choice to defend himself.