Dinakaran's appointment to SC put on hold

New Delhi: A day after Rajya Sabha Chairman Mohammad Hamid Ansari admitted a plea for impeachment of Karnataka Chief Justice PD Dinakaran, Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan on Friday said the controversial judge's elevation to the Supreme Court has been put on hold.

"We have kept Justice Dinakaran's name in abeyance in view of impeachment proceeding initiated against him in the Rajya Sabha," the Chief Justice told reporters.

This is for the first time that the Supreme Court collegium of its five senior-most judges headed by the Chief Justice of India has officially backtracked on elevating Justice Dinkaran, who has been accused of land-grabbing and judicial misconduct.

The collegium had in August recommended Justice Dinakaran for elevation to the apex court along with four other chief justices of high courts. The four have already been elevated and have begun working as the apex court judges.

Chief Justice Balakrishnan hoped that Justice Dinakaran will not take up any judicial work in the Karnataka High Court following initiation of the impeachment proceedings.

Balakrishnan, however, maintained that he will not send any "advice" to him for doing so as the high courts are not under supervisory control of the supreme Court.

Asked whether Justice Dinakaran will be kept out of work, the CJI said, "I have no disciplinary power over the judges and chief justices of high courts".

On whether the judge will be transferred out of Karnataka, Balakrishnan was non-committal but said, "I have power to transfer chief justices of high courts".

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