A vacation bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi allowed civil society Forum for Judicial Accountability's plea after it contended that earlier it had been allowed during the impeachment process of Justice V Ramaswami of the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court today allowed an NGO to assist it in deciding Sikkim high court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran's plea alleging bias on the part of a Rajya Sabha-appointed panel probing charges of judicial misconduct and corruption against him.
A vacation bench headed by Justice GS Singhvi allowed civil society Forum for Judicial Accountability's plea after it contended that earlier it had been allowed during the impeachment process of Justice V Ramaswami of the Supreme Court.
Justice Dinakaran, 61, pleaded that one of the three-member committee, senior advocate PP Rao, should be recused as he had campaigned against his elevation to the Supreme Court which was later put on hold.
Senior counsel and former additional solicitor general Amrendra Saran, appearing for Dinakaran, sought Rao's withdrawal from the panel on the ground that he was biased against him.
Saran pointed out that Rao was a party to the resolution passed in November 2009 by the Bar Association of India asking erstwhile Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan not to elevate Dinakaran to the apex court due to various charges of corruption and judicial misconduct against him.
Saran had also argued that Rao was the part of the delegation which subsequently met the chief justice and made a representation opposing Dinakaran's elevation.
The apex court had on April 29 stayed the probe by the panel after Dinakaran expressed apprehension of a biased inquiry by it in view of Rao being on the panel.
It had also asked the committee headed by Justice Aftab Alam of the Supreme Court to respond to the judge's plea that Rao should quit the panel.
Besides Rao and Justice Alam, and Karnataka high court Chief Justice JS Khehar is the third member of the committee.
Senior advocate UU Lalit, appearing for Rao, refuted all apprehensions and said that he had sought to recuse himself from the panel earlier but he countinued after the vice-president insisted that he should be there in the panel.
Dinakaran had early this week moved the apex court against the ongoing probe against him by the upper house panel, contending that it has exceeded its jurisdiction in probing charges of judicial misconduct and corruption against him.
He had alleged that the panel has expanded the ambit of the probe beyond what was initially adopted by the Rajya Sabha motion.
On Dinakaran's plea, the apex court had issued notice to the panel, seeking its stand on the plea.
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