KARNATAKA CJ IN THE DOCK
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Dinakaran holds court, lawyers hold protest
Published on Mon, Nov 09, 2009 at 12:23, Updated on Mon, Nov 09, 2009 at 15:49 in India section
Tags: PD Dinakaran, Karnataka High Court , New Delhi
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New Delhi: Hundreds of lawyers laid siege outside Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran's courtroom on Monday to protest his continuing in office despite allegations of land grabbing and the amassing of assets disproportionate to his income.
A miffed Dinakaran, who was hearing a case, walked out of the courtroom amid the chaos.
The trouble had begun even as Dinakaran began hearing the case, with the lawyers assembling outside courtroom number one and raising slogans against him, despite a stay by the high court Saturday against boycotting him.
When the lawyers refused to relent, Dinakaran called representatives of the Advocates Association of Bangalore (AAB) inside the courtroom and told them that he should be allowed to discharge his constitutional duties.
"What sin have I committed? Why are you protesting against me? Allow me to do my duty. The court cannot tolerate such acts," Dinakaran said.
Rejecting Dinakaran's plea, the lawyers continued to shout "Resign chief justice" and "Down, down Dinakaran" and prevented the proceedings.
In the melee, some advocates beat up a senior television journalist and a CNN-IBN cameraperson -- though he was not carrying a camera as proceedings are not allowed to be filmed.
A division bench of Justices Manjula Chellur and B.V. Nagarathna had stayed a resolution adopted by the AAB Nov 4 to boycott courts in protest against the continuation of Dinakaran as the high court's chief justice.
A citizen, M P Gundappa, had filed a writ petition against the resolution.
"There is no legal provision for lawyers to adopt such a resolution for abstaining from courts in protest against a judge or functioning chief justice even if allegations are leveled against him," high court advocate, D V Rajesh, told IANS.
Dinakaran, whose elevation to the Supreme Court has been put on hold, pending a probe by the apex court body, had been accused of grabbing government land or amassing disproportionate assets after his appointed as judge of the Madras High Court by a section of the Tamil Nadu advocates.
TENSION IN TIRUVALLUR |
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Tiruvallur in Tamil Nadu is the latest flashpoint in the Justice Dinakaran controversy. Three hundred people have been arrested for protesting against Justice Dinakaran. Farmers - backed by the CPM - had threatened to 'retrieve' government land allegedly encroached by the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice. The farmers say they will take over the disputed land and distribute it among the landless labourers in the area. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi had warned CPM activists against taking law into their own hands. Tiruvallur has literally become a fortress ahead of the threatened agitation. Five local CPM leaders were also taken into preventive custody.APOLOGY TO CNN-IBN |
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No one should be immune from the law. If it happens, the fundamental right of equality before law is defeated.
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Dinakaran should quit. It seems like whatever he has done is immoral, even though legally you cannot call that a
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No Sinner has so far accepted that he had committed some sin.Similar is the case with the alleged individual who
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