C.S. Karnan, controversial former High Court judge, passes away in Chennai

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Former High Court Judge C.S. Karnan. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

A controversial former judge of the Madras High Court C.S. Karnan (71), who was sentenced to six months of imprisonment in contempt of court proceedings by the Supreme Court during his stint as a judge of the Calcuttta High Court in 2017 and was jailed once again in 2020 pursuant to his retirement, died in Chennai on Friday (November 13, 2026).

According to sources, he breathed his last at a private hospital. A native of Karnatham village in Cuddalore distict, Karnan was born on June 12, 1955. He got enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on April 11, 1984 and practised in the Madras High Court, City Civil Courts and the Family Courts in civil, criminal, constitutional and service matters.

He was elevated as judge of the Madras High Court in 2009 pursuant to a recommendation made by the High Court collegium comprising the then Chief Justice A.K. Ganguly and Justices S.J. Mukhopadhaya and P.K. Misra and accepted by the Supreme Court collegium comprising of the then Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan and Justices B.N. Agrawal and Arijit Pasayat, the next two senior judges of the top court.

During his stint as a judge of the Madras High Court, Karnan had accused the other judges of ill-treating him because he belonged to a Scheduled Caste. He had also had confrontations, sometimes in the open court, with former Chief Justices R.K. Agrawal and Sanjay Kishan Kaul over recommendation of names to be elevated as judges of the High Court and alleged discrimination against scheduled caste lawyers.

Karnan was transferred to the Calcutta High Court on March 10, 2016. In February 2017, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court led by the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) J.S. Khehar initiated suo motu contempt of court proceedings against him for levelling baseless charges against other judges and also restrained him from performing judicial as well as administrative work as a judge of the High Court.

On May 1, 2017, the Supreme Court had directed the West Bengal government to constitute a board of doctors from Pavlov Government Hospital in Calcutta to examine Karnan and report as to whether he was in a fit condition to defend himself. However, Karnan declined to be medically examined and gave a written declaration on May 4, 2017 that he was absolutely normal and with a stable mind.

On May 8, 2017, he passed an “order” sentencing the then CJI and seven other judges of the Supreme Court judges to five years of rigorous imprisonment and also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh each under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act of 1989. He directed the Commissioner of Police, New Delhi to execute his “order” and granted liberty to the eight judges to approach the Parliament.

A day later, the seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court found Karnan guilty of criminal contempt and sentenced him to six months of imprisonment after observing that his conduct towards a large number of judges and judiciary in general had seriously blemished and tarnished the image of those concerned in particular, as well as the judiciary as a whole.

However, the West Bengal police could not execute the Supreme Court order since Karnan absconded and attained the age of superannuation on June 12, 2017. After an intensive search, the police arrested him in Coimbatore on June 20, 2017. Even after undergoing the sentence, Karnan continued to openly denounce large number of judges with allegations of corruption and caste based discrimination.

Around 10 criminal cases were registered against him for reportedly circulating 33 videos on the social media abusing sitting as well as former judges, their spouses, lawyers, court staff and others using “vulgar, scandalous, vituperative and obscene” words. The tenth case was booked for having allegedly trespassed into the residence of a former Supreme Court judge in Chennai and abusing her daughter and son-in-law in filthy language.

Karnan was arrested again, this time by the Tamil Nadu police, on December 2, 2020 and was granted bail by the Madras High Court on March 23, 2021 after he filed two affidavits tendering unconditional apology to all concerned and undertook not to repeat such behaviour in future. Justice V. Bharathidasan (since retired) had granted the relief on condition that the bail would stand cancelled if the undertaking was violated.

Post superannuation, Karnan had also floated a political party named Anti Corruption Dynamic Party in 2018 and contested successfully in elections.

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