Justice Karnan, Sentenced To Jail, Asks For Recall Of Supreme Court Order

Chennai: Justice CS Karnan, who has not been seen for two days amid attempts to arrest him, is "not in hiding" but in Chennai, his lawyer said today in the Supreme Court. The 61-year-old Calcutta High Court judge has asked the top court to recall his six-month jail sentence for contempt. He has also challenged its constitutional validity.

But where is the judge, questioned the top court when his lawyer J Nethumpara arrived to file the petition.

Justice Karnan was being chased by the police of two states while unconfirmed reports this morning suggested he had left the country.

The Calcutta High Court judge was sentenced to jail on Tuesday by the Supreme Court - a first in the history of the Indian judiciary.

Hours before the ruling, Justice Karnan had taken a very early flight from Kolkata to Chennai and checked himself into a state guest house. The judge left the guest house yesterday, reportedly without clearing his bills, and was to travel to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to visit a temple in Srikalahasthi.

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When a police team from Kolkata arrived at the guest house, they did not find either the judge or the two lawyers who had accompanied him.

The team then travelled to Andhra Pradesh but came back empty-handed.

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Justice Karnan was found guilty of contempt by a seven-judge constitution bench after he named 20 judges he said were "corrupt" earlier this year, and wrote to several people, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking for an investigation.

The top court has banned the media from reporting any of his statements or rulings; Justice Karnan has defied the Supreme Court at every step by coming out with his own "rulings" against the seven judges, matching them order-for-order.

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Soon after the jail sentence was pronounced, Justice Karnan called the media to his room in the Chennai guest house and hit out at the top court.