Justice Karnan, Sentenced To Jail, 'Not Found' By Police Of 3 States

A four-member police team from West Bengal reached Chennai yesterday to arrest Justice CS Karnan. The 61-year-old is the first judge to be sentenced to jail by the Supreme Court.

Chennai, May 11,2017 (NDTV): Justice CS Karnan, who has been sentenced to six months jail by the Supreme Court, has not been found by a police team from Kolkata that arrived in Chennai yesterday to arrest him. The Calcutta High Court judge flew to Chennai on Tuesday morning, hours before the Supreme Court punished him for contempt The judge checked out of a state guest house yesterday, reportedly without clearing his bills, and was to travel to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to visit a temple in Srikalahasti. But it is not confirmed whether he did make the trip. Those close to him suggest he wants to meet President Pranab Mukherjee. Some reports also said he planned to challenge his sentence. The 61-year-old is the first judge to be sentenced to jail by the Supreme Court. He was found guilty of contempt by a seven-judge constitution bench, including the Chief Justice of India, JS Khehar, 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 alleging deep-seated corruption in the judiciary. The top court ordered the Bengal police to arrest the judge and also 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. Soon after the sentence was pronounced, Justice Karnan called the media to his room in the Chennai guest house and hit out at the top court. The Bengal police team has been coordinating with their Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh counterparts and has questioned people. The policemen reportedly also went to Andhra Pradesh but returned without making any headway.