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The Supreme Court has sought the Tamil Nadu Government’s response over allegations that former Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan was allotted two prime plots of land in Chennai under a benami transaction by then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.
A bench of Chief Justice SH Kapadia and justices KS Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar also asked the Kerala Government to file a reply on the application seeking details of various alleged illegal assets of Justice Balakrishnan seized by the State Government.
The apex court passed the direction on the interlocutory application moved by an advocate who had earlier filed a PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the alleged illegal assets possessed by Balakrishnan, presently chairman of the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC).
The bench had earlier on February 18 asked the Attorney General GE Vahanvati to submit a status report on the complaint filed by a journalist to Vice-President Hamid Ansari on alleged illegal assets “amassed” by the former CJI.
In the latest application mentioned before the bench on October 21, it was alleged that Karunanidhi misused his discretionary power and allotted two prime plots of land in Chennai to Kannabiran a former aide of Balakrishnan.
It was alleged that Kannabiran whose monthly income was just around Rs 10,000 had applied for land in Nolambur on February 7, 2008 and was allotted a plot the next day. The second plot in Anna Nagar was allotted on April 3, 2008.
“Putting the value of the Nolambur plot between Rs 47-49 lakh, Manoharan, a surveyor with TNHB (Tamil Nadu Housing Board), admitted before a hidden camera, “It is a good locality. Plot number 312 is allotted to a clerk in Supreme Court. He is Kannabiran. He has paid everything. The CM has given the allotment,” the application alleged.
A bench of Chief Justice SH Kapadia and justices KS Radhakrishnan and Swatanter Kumar also asked the Kerala Government to file a reply on the application seeking details of various alleged illegal assets of Justice Balakrishnan seized by the State Government.
The apex court passed the direction on the interlocutory application moved by an advocate who had earlier filed a PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the alleged illegal assets possessed by Balakrishnan, presently chairman of the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC).
The bench had earlier on February 18 asked the Attorney General GE Vahanvati to submit a status report on the complaint filed by a journalist to Vice-President Hamid Ansari on alleged illegal assets “amassed” by the former CJI.
In the latest application mentioned before the bench on October 21, it was alleged that Karunanidhi misused his discretionary power and allotted two prime plots of land in Chennai to Kannabiran a former aide of Balakrishnan.
It was alleged that Kannabiran whose monthly income was just around Rs 10,000 had applied for land in Nolambur on February 7, 2008 and was allotted a plot the next day. The second plot in Anna Nagar was allotted on April 3, 2008.
“Putting the value of the Nolambur plot between Rs 47-49 lakh, Manoharan, a surveyor with TNHB (Tamil Nadu Housing Board), admitted before a hidden camera, “It is a good locality. Plot number 312 is allotted to a clerk in Supreme Court. He is Kannabiran. He has paid everything. The CM has given the allotment,” the application alleged.
