The Calcutta High Court Judge C.S. Karnan is all set to retire today. The judge was pronounced guilty for contempt of court under the Contempt of Courts Act. Karnan is the first judge to retire while absconding.
The Supreme Court pronounced 6 months of jail time to Karnan on May 10. He was pronounced a sentence after he sentenced five years of jail under SC/ST Act to Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar and six other Supreme Court judges.
On May 10, a five member team of senior police reached Hyderabad to carry out the sentence. The team included DGP Raj Kanojia and officers Ranveer Kumar, C. Sudhakar, Dipankar Bakshi and Sukumal Kanti Das. They were, however, unsuccessful as Karnan went into hiding by then. This led the team to seek help from the Chennai Police to track Karnan.
Karnan’s location is still unknown. The fugitive is also accused of writing criticizing letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and also the Supreme Court Registrar about sitting and retired judges of the Supreme and High Courts.
Karnan is the first judge in Indian history to be convicted while serving his term. He also put a stay on the SC order to transfer him from Madras High Court to the Calcutta High Court.
