The first ever sitting Judge in the history of Indian Judiciary to be jailed, Justice CS Karnan has sought relief in a contempt case. A petition on behalf of the Calcutta High Court judge was presented before a five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar who agreed to consider his plea.
CJI Khehar asked Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara about Karnan's whereabouts, to which he replied he is “very much in Chennai”. Police of three different states have been on the lookout for Karnan since quite some time now as the judge remains on the run following several disciplinary violations. The plea read, “The petitioner, a judge of the High Court of Calcutta, is not under any disciplinary jurisdiction of either the CJI or the Bench of Seven Judges constituted by the CJI, as in the instant case.” Nedumpara also mentioned that at least 12 advocates had refused to represent the controversial judge.
Karnan has been evading arrest and was reported to have possibly left the country as claimed by close aide and legal adviser W Peter Ramesh Kumar. Refusing to give any details, he had said that Karnan might have crossed Indian borders to “Nepal or Bangladesh”.
In an order passed on May 9, a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court had sentenced Karnan to six-months jail after it found him guilty of contempt of court. The order came 24 hours after he ordered eight apex court judges to be put behind bars, the same day when the SC had ordered the West Bengal police to take him into custody. The bench comprising of judges Justices Dipak Misra, J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, MB Lokur, PC Ghose, and Kurian Joseph observed it was satisfied with the sentence, adding that the contempt power does not recognise who is what, whether he is a judge an individual or a private person.
