Absconding Justice (retd) CS Karnan was arrested on Monday by the West Bengal police with the aid of the Tamil Nadu police from an apartment near Coimbatore. After the West Bengal police came to know that the Calcutta high court judge was hiding somewhere in the city, they traced him to be hiding at an independent house at a suburb near Coimbatore.
A special team of experts was sent by the local police to track Karnan's whereabouts. The 62 year old has been evading arrest after being sentenced to a six-month term of imprisonment for contempt of court offence by the Supreme Court. Coimbatore city commissioner of police, A Amalraj said that Justice Karnan had been found staying in the house when he was picked by the West Bengal police. “We provided technical assistance to the West Bengal police, and they arrested him from the apartment,” he said.
Reports said that Justice Karnan argued with the police, refusing to get into the police car, demanding to talk to the media first. Later arrested and taken to the airport, he addressed the press saying, “I am an innocent person being punished for trying to uproot the corruption in the Supreme Court. But my fight will continue.” Karnan, who was transferred to Kolkata after he began a row by raking up issues against other judges of the Madras High Court, remained untraceable ever since the SC sentenced him for contempt on May 9. A seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar held him guilty of contempt and ordered six months imprisonment for him.
Senior counsel and former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Dushyant Dave said, “Right or wrong, the Supreme Court judgement has to be implemented and the state is fully responsible for the lapses and must be held accountable. The whole saga reflects the sorry state of affairs in the judiciary.”
