The police could not find Justice CS Karnan at his Kolkata New Town residence after the Supreme Court of India in an unprecedented order sentenced him to six months in jail for contempt of court and directed the Bengal police to arrest the erring Calcutta High Court Judge.
Tuesday tended to see the culmination of months’-long face-off within the higher judiciary that started with Justice Karnan shooting off letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking investigation against so-called “corrupt” judges in Madras High Court and the apex court which in turn taking up contempt proceedings against him.
Order of a seven-judge SC Bench led by Chief Justice JS Kehar sentencing Justice Karnan to jail for contempt of court came a day after the High Court Judge passed an order under SC/ST Act awarding 5-year jail to the SC Judges.
Incidentally Justice Karnan had been relieved of his judicial and administrative responsibilities by the SC and which also ordered him to be examined for mental fitness. He, however, disobeyed the order by refusing to get himself examined by a team of Kolkata psychiatrists.
Passing the Tuesday’s order the SC said, “We are of the unanimous opinion that Justice Karnan has committed contempt of this court of the Judiciary as also the judicial process of the gravest nature.”
The court had earlier found him in contempt on February 8 and was asked to explain his conduct though he preferred to repeatedly ignore the orders passed on him leading the Apex Court to issue a bailable warrant against him on March 10. Justice Karnan however rejected the warrant alleging he was being made a victim of caste bias.
Giving reaction to the Tuesday’s development the judicial fraternity in Kolkata said the erring Judge should have conducted himself in away “befitting his dignity and status.”