5 judges meet to discuss Dinakaran

Majority of the Karnataka High Court judges stay away from the meeting

In the informal meeting held at the judges reading room of the High Court, Justice H G Ramesh, Justice V Jagannathan, Justice N Ananda and additional judge Justice K N Keshavanarayan and discussed about the issues involving the High Court and the State Judiciary.

The meeting attains significance after the Chief Justice on December 18 refused to either permit a meeting or chair a meeting following a request by Justice Kumar.   

CJ refuses

Justice Kumar on December 17 had directed the Registrar General to call for a meeting. However, the Chief Justice had refused to conduct such a meeting. On Friday, Justice Kumar, on his personal blog expressed his concern over the things going ‘radically wrong’ in the Judicial system and points out that  he was constitutionally and morally compelled to take certain steps to improve the situation and atleast to some extent arrest the negative development.

But when contacted, Justice Shylendra Kumar refused to comment about the meeting that took place on Saturday. When Deccan Herald contacted Justice Ramesh, who was among those who attended the meeting said, “I don’t want to speak about the meeting. I am not supposed to discuss the issue. I am not supposed to talk to the press, you talk to him (Justice Shylendra Kumar) about the meeting.”  

Registrar Judiciary and Registrar Vigilance participated in the meeting. But the Registrar General and the Registrar Administration stayed away from it as along with the senior judges. But sources later on said that Registrar General was away at a function organised by Karnataka State Legal Services Authority.

Media kept away

The mediapersons were barred from entering the High Court premises on Saturday. Some of the mediapersons who had who came to cover the meeting were stopped by the police saying that it is an order from the Higher-ups not to allow media on this particular day. However, the Registrar General was not available for comments. The police was made to ensure that no reporters get inside the court.

Demanding an identity card from each and every person passing through the gate, the police requested mediapersons not to make it an issue but co-operate with them. “It is the matter of one day, we have been particularly told not to allow newsmen only for today, please understand,” pleaded a policeman at the gate.
However, by the time a section of media could manage to gain entry, the meeting had already concluded.

With the courts being closed on Saturdays, the High Court premises wore a deserted look. Some of the advocates were found standing in groups discussing about the latest developments.

This is a serious issue: Moily

An unhappy Union Minister for Law Veerappa Moily declared that hurling accusations and criticising a judge did not augur well for the Judiciary.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a book release event on Saturday, Veerappa Moily said: “This is a serious issue between the Judiciary and a judge. We cannot talk lightly about this. Impeachment does not mean that he (Justice P D Dinakaran) could be attributed with motives. Hurling accusations and criticising, is not conducive to a Judicial environment. Both judges and the public should not make such statements.”