Dinakaran’s apex court prospects fade away

The names of four judges, other than that of Karnataka high court chief justice PD Dinakaran, will be processed for elevation to the Supreme Court, chief justice of India KG Balakrishnan said on Sunday, not rejecting the suggestion that Dinakaran’s name has been dropped from the list.

Dinakaran has been accused of grabbing more than 500 acres of land in Tamil Nadu.
Sources said there is a likelihood of a woman judge being brought to the apex court. Law minister M Veerappa Moily and a parliamentary committee have aired their concern about ignoring meritorious women in the selection of apex court judges.
Balakrishnan, who heads the five-member collegium that appoints Supreme Court judges, preferred to remain cryptic about Dinakaran’s future.

Asked if Dinakaran’s name has been dropped, as reported by a newspaper on Sunday, the CJI said, “No, no…” 

“We have only asked that the names of four other judges be processed for their appointment as judges of the Supreme Court,” Balakrishnan said on the sidelines of a conference. They are chief justices AK Patnaik (Madhya Pradesh), Tirath Singh Thakur (Punjab & Haryana), SS Nijjar (Calcutta) and KS Radhakrishnan (Gujarat).