New Delhi, Dec 19 : The Congress said Saturday that it had not taken a stand on the move to impeach Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P. D. Dinakaran as the Supreme Court collegium that had recommended his elevation to the apex court had put its decision on hold.

"The Supreme Court collegium has not given is final decision on his elevation," party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told IANS.

The Congress reaction came amid reports that some of its Dalit MPs would meet the party leadership to urge it to oppose any move to impeach the judge.

New Delhi, Dec 18 : The issue of elevation of Justice P. D. Dinakaran to the Supreme Court generated much heat in the Rajya Sabha Friday with a Congress MP wondering whether the Karnataka High Court chief justice was being "targeted just because he is a Dalit".

"What is happening here? Why is Dinakaran being targeted? Is it just because he is a Dalit," MP Praveen Rashtrapal shouted just as the Zero Hour began.

This led to counter-slogans from the opposition benches but Rashtrapal said: "Do you mean to tell me he is the only corrupt judge in the country?"

Bangalore, Dec 17 : Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P. D. Dinakaran has become the first chief justice of a high court in the country to stay away from judicial proceedings in the face of allegations of land grab.

Karnataka High Court registrar general R. B. Budhihal late Wednesday issued a notification stating that Dinakaran will not take up judicial matters until further orders. The notification did not assign any reason.

Dinakaran will, however, continue to carry out administrative duties as the chief justice.

Karnataka High Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran passed orders in favour of a family whose hospitality he’d enjoyed in Canada, documents show.

Dinakaran has been under public scrutiny ever since a group of eminent jurists wrote to the Chief Justice of India last month opposing his promotion to the Supreme Court, saying there were corruption allegations against him.

Asked for a report, the Tamil Nadu government stated that he had encroached on large tracts of public land in his village in Thiruvallur district.

On Wednesday, 66 residents of the village lodged a police complaint claiming Dinakaran had been removing fences he had put up around the property he had forcibly occupied, to remove evidence of any such occupation.

A panel of top Supreme Court judges (Collegium) on Sunday failed to take a decision on the promotion of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, who has been at the centre of a controversy for alleged land grabbing and judicial impropriety.

The five-member collegium headed by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan, which met on Sunday, deferred any decision on Justice Dinakaran’s elevation to the apex court, apparently due to differences among the top judges, sources said.

In fresh trouble for Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, top jurists on Sunday asked the Chief Justice of India to seek his resignation, following confirmation by the Tamil Nadu government of land grabbing allegations against him.

Fresh from their victory in having forced the panel of top judges responsible for appointments and promotions (collegium) to put off its plans to promote Dinakaran to the Supreme Court, the jurists mounted further pressure on the CJI to take action against him.