Maya bats for Dinakaran

Justice Dinakaran, who faces the charge of amassing disproportionate assets and grabbing land, faces an impeachment motion admitted against him in the Rajya Sabha.

Mayawati said: “The manner in which things are moving ahead at present, without giving him (Dinakaran) any chance to explain his case and without giving any serious thought to it, was not in keeping with the importance of the matter”.

She told the Prime Minister that any further action against Justice Dinakaran should be taken only after taking his viewpoint as also taking all aspects into consideration “in a just and unbiased manner”.

Denying an opportunity to Justice Dinakaran, to express his view point “is against the principle of natural justice”, Mayawati said.

“He should be given a chance to explain himself in the matters relating to him before contemplating any action against him,” she said in the letter terming the issue as “most important”.

Justice Dinakaran, who is not attending to any judicial matter in the High Court, belongs to Dalit community. The Centre, however, steered clear of Mayawati’s letter to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention to ensure Dinakaran gets to present his views before initiating action against him.

“The matter is in the stage of impeachment. I would not like to say anything on the issue,” Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said. He was asked to comment on the letter written by Mayawati to the Prime Minister.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari has admitted a notice of the impeachment motion by 75 Opposition MPs against Justice Dinakaran over allegations of amassing disproportionate assets and grabbing land.

The Chairman is expected to constitute a three-member committee comprising a Supreme Court judge, a high court chief justice and a jurist to examine the notice and give its views before the impeachment process is carried forward.