A day after Sikkim high court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran, facing impeachment on corruption allegations, submitted his resignation, he chose not to mark his presence before the impeachment inquiry committee compelling it to adjourn hearing.
Justice Dinakaran’s counsel did not appear on Saturday before the three-member inquiry committee headed by Justice Aftab Alam of the Supreme Court at Vigyan Bhavan here.
Sources said that the committee also did not get any communication from Justice Dinakaran, who was issued notice earlier for the Saturday hearing after his petition challenging the panel’s proceedings was rejected by the apex court last week.
The committee has so far not received any communication from Rajya Sabha chairman Dr Hamid Ansari, who had appointed the inquiry panel after admission of the impeachment petition against Justice Dinakaran to examine the allegations of corruption and judicial misconduct, nor from any other government authority, the sources further said. Justice Dinakaran had sent his resignation to President Pratibha Patil on Friday and reportedly had forwarded a copy to Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia.
The inquiry panel on Saturday, however, allowed media to report its proceedings despite Justice Dinakaran moving an application before it for keeping the media away.
The committee was to be presented the details of the charges by its counsel Udai Lalit. President Pratibha Patil, who was on a week-long foreign visit, returned home only on Saturday and any decision on Justice Dinakaran’s resignation is expected after she discusses the issue with the Prime Minister, who in turn might consult law minister Salman Khurshid.