New Delhi:
It's a litmus test for the judiciary, but it seems the country's best legal minds have yet again been unable to decide what's next for controversial Karnataka High Court Chief Justice, P D Dinakaran.
Accused of corruption, including land grabbing, Dinakaran's elevation to the Supreme Court has been on the hold for a while.
On Sunday, Chief Justice on India (CJI) K G Balakrishnan held a meeting of the collegium, a panel of five judges who decide on Supreme Court appointments. And they decided to defer a decision on Dinakaran's elevation, choosing instead to seek more clarifications on the allegations.
NDTV has learnt that they want the details from Tamil Nadu officials, especially after the Thiruvallur Collector sent an adverse report on the land-grabbing charges.
Reports suggest that Dinakaran met the CJI on Saturday and questioned that report.
This is the second time the collegium met on Dinakaran and deferred a decision. Sunday's meeting went on for one and half hours.
Chief Justice Dinakaran stayed away from the second day of the judicial conference. Sources say some of his seniors were upset with him for attending the function on Saturday as it would invite more controversy.
Five top judges of the country met at the residence of CJI to decide what action can be taken in justice Dinakaran's case, but failed to arrive at a decision. This is the second such meeting. Any further delay is likely to dent the image of judiciary.