Retired Calcutta HC Judge Karnan petitions WB Governor for bail
Karnan was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for contempt of court by a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court.
Kolkata, June 27: Former Calcutta High Court judge CS Karnan, jailed on an order of the Supreme Court, has moved a petition before the governor of West Bengal seeking bail or parole.
Karnan, 62, who was lodged at the Presidency Correctional Home in Kolkata on June 21 following his arrest in Tamil Nadu a day earlier, is at present undergoing treatment at the state-run SSKM Hospital.
He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for contempt of court by a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar, on May 9.
Questioning
the
constitutionality
of
the
order
of
imprisonment
of
Karnan
by
the
apex
court,
the
petition
said,
"It
is
requested
that
the
applicant
may
please
be
enlarged
on
bail/parole
till
the
said
lacunae
are
remedied
and
constitutional
supremacy
restored."
Making
the
appeal
through
his
lawyers,
Karnan
said,
"The
applicant
is
ready
and
willing
to
abide
by
any
terms
and
conditions
that
may
be
imposed
for
granting
bail/parole
to
him."
He appealed to Governor Kesri Nath Tripathi that he should "exercise the jurisdiction invested in your excellency and enlarge the prisoner Shri Justice C S Karnan on bail/parole in the interest of justice and equity".
"The appeal has been sent by speed post to the governor," Karnan's counsel Mathew J Nedumpara said today.
"Copies
of
the
representation
have
also
been
sent
to
the
West
Bengal
chief
minister,
the
home
minister
and
the
law
minister
of
the
state,"
Nedumpara
said
over
phone.
Karnan,
who
retired
as
a
judge
of
the
Calcutta
High
Court
on
June
12
as
a
fugitive,
was
arrested
on
June
20
from
Coimbatore
in
Tamil
Nadu
after
evading
the
police
for
more
than
a
month.
Karnan, who was on a warpath with the Supreme Court for the last several months, has the dubious distinction of being the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court.
Despite
several
attempts,
Karnan
has
failed
to
get
any
relief
from
the
apex
court's
vacation
benches
which
refused
to
hear
his
plea
seeking
a
stay
of
its
jail
term
order.
His
lawyers
have
also
claimed
to
have
approached
President
Pranab
Mukherjee
for
exercising
his
power
to
stay
the
apex
court's
order,
but
no
relief
has
come
to
the
ex-judge
so
far
After being sentenced to a six-month jail term, Karnan had on May 12 moved the apex court for relief, saying neither the high courts nor their judges, were "subordinate" to it.
He had sought recall of the apex court's order, contending he could not be held guilty of contempt of court.
Karnan had said the Contempt of Courts Act was a "cathartic jurisprudence which belonged to the Dark Ages, the era of inquisition and torture, distinct from the classical Roman Law which constitutes the foundation of modern jurisprudence".
PTI