Centre has no role in Dinakaran case: Moily

The Centre on Monday said it has no role to play in the issue of impeachment process of Karnataka high court chief justice P D Dinakaran except notifying the committee constituted by the Rajya Sabha Chairman.

"Parliament is seized of the matter. Under the powers vested with the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, he has already constituted a committee," Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said.

He was replying to a question on government's stand on Justice Dinakaran.

The elevation of Justice Dinakaran to the Supreme Court was put on hold following allegations of land-grabbing and amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The law ministry had returned the Supreme Court recommendation for his elevation.

"The Committee will have to be notified and proposal has come to the government of India and is under process," Moily said.

He said "at this stage" government cannot take any stand on the issue and a set process under the Judges Inquiry Act of 1968 which deals with impeachment of members of the higher judiciary, will have to be followed. "The Constitutional process has started," he added.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Md Hamid Ansari had recently appointed a three-member committee comprising Supreme Court Judge V S Sirpurkar, Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh high court Justice A R Dave and eminent jurist P P Rao.

Asked to comment about a reported remark by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan that amendments to Right To Information Act so far as applicable to the judiciary, particularly relating to judges' appointments, could fall under the domain of the government, Moily said he cannot comment on the matter as RTI amendment comes under the Department of Personnel and not under his Ministry.