Dhingra known for his hard work and research

New Delhi: It was a packed courtroom in the newly-constructed Karkardooma court complex where Congress heavyweight, late H.K.L. Bhagat, had made his first appearance as an accused in 1995.  

Keeping in view the sensitivity of the matter, a heavy security blanket was thrown in and around the court complex. Soon after, then additional sessions judge S.N. Dhingra came to the courtroom, Mr Bhagat stood up on a stool and told the judge “Do you know whom you have summoned?”

Taken aback, Mr Dhingra told him that it was not a political rally and he should maintain the court’s decorum. Mr Bhagat reacted, saying “I have built this court complex.” And the young judge was quick enough to say that the veteran politician had turned senile.

That is Mr Dhingra, who is again in news after the Supreme Court appointed him as the head of the three-member SIT to look into 1984 anti-Sikh massacre cases in the city. The former high court judge is known in the legal faternity for his hard work and in-depth research he uses in his judgments.

His comments that Parliament was like a fish market created political tsnami in the country.

Justice (retired) Dhingra who joined as the ADJ in January 1988 was elevated to the Delhi high court in February 2006. As a Special TADA court judge, handling former Union minister Kalpnath Rai’s case, he once made it clear to one of the accused that he should refrain from threatening people or he take action against him.