Sack Balakrishnan as NHRC chief, legal luminaries tell president, PM

The pressure on the government and the judiciary to sack former Supreme Court chief justice K G Balakrishnan as chairman of the National Human Rights Commission is mounting. On Monday, activist group Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) wrote to both President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a Supreme Court inquiry into the ''misbehaviour'' of Balakrishnan during his tenure as the Chief Justice of India. 

In the letter signed by advocate Prashant Bhushan, CJAR – which has legal luminaries like justice V R Krishna Iyer, justice P B Sawant and former law minister Shanti Bhushan among its members – requested the President to send a "reference to the Supreme Court for inquiry into misbehaviour of Justice K G Balakrishnan under Section 5(1) of the NHRC Act" to commence the process of his removal as head of the apex human rights body.

If accepted as a complaint, the letter could form the basis for the President to refer it to the Supreme Court, which would conduct an inquiry against Balakrishnan for misbehaviour under the NHRC Act. 

In the letter, CJAR quotes media reports to allege that Justice Balakrishnan acquired 'benami' properties and assets in the names of his daughters, sons-in-law and brother during his tenure as the chief justice. ''This amassing of wealth beyond their known source by the kin of Justice Balakrishnan during his tenure as Judge/Chief Justice of the SC clearly indicates this wealth was given to them as illegal gratification to the then Justice Balakrishnan,'' the letter said.