Ex-judge Justice CS Karnan, first sitting judge jailed for contempt, dies at 71

Former Madras High Court and Calcutta High Court judge Justice CS Karnan, who became the first sitting judge in India to be jailed for contempt of court after he passed an unusual order convicting the then Chief Justice of India and six other Supreme Court judges, died in Chennai on Friday. He was 71.

Justice Karnan was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city.

Born as Karunanithi, Justice Karnan was appointed as a judge of the Madras High Court in 2009. In 2016, he was transferred to the Calcutta High Court. He made headlines in 2017 after becoming the first sitting judge in India to be sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court.

The controversy began after Justice Karnan made a series of allegations against members of the judiciary and took several contentious steps. In one such move, he passed an order convicting the then Chief Justice of India and six other Supreme Court judges under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and sentencing them to five years in prison.

The unprecedented order prompted the Supreme Court to initiate contempt proceedings against him. A seven-judge Constitution Bench headed by then Chief Justice of India JS Khehar found Justice Karnan guilty of contempt of court, the judiciary and the judicial process. The top court sentenced him to six months in prison.

Although the Supreme Court ordered his immediate arrest, Justice Karnan evaded the authorities for more than a month. He was eventually arrested after going into hiding, by which time he had retired from judicial service.

Justice Karnan had also levelled allegations against the then Chief Justice of the Madras High Court and several other High Court judges.

He was embroiled in another controversy in 2020, when a case was registered against him after videos of him threatening members of the higher judiciary surfaced online. In the videos, he was seen using abusive and obscene language against judges and their family members. He also made threats of sexual violence against the women relatives of judges.

The Madras High Court subsequently granted him bail, taking into account his unconditional apology and medical condition.- Ends