Former High Court judge C.S. Karnan, known for his controversial tenure and a unique conviction by the Supreme Court, passed away in Chennai on Tuesday. He was 59 years old.
Information was available with The Chenab Times indicating that Justice Karnan had been dealing with health issues in recent times. He was pronounced dead at a private hospital in Chennai where he was undergoing treatment.
Justice Karnan’s judicial career was marked by unprecedented events. In May 2017, while serving as a judge of the Calcutta High Court, he became the first sitting judge of a High Court in India to be sentenced to jail by the Supreme Court. The apex court found him guilty of contempt of court.
The Supreme Court had sentenced Justice Karnan to six months of imprisonment after he issued a suo motu order in May 2017, sentencing the Chief Justice of India and seven other senior judges of the Supreme Court to five years of imprisonment. He had accused the judiciary of corruption and discrimination against Dalits. The order was widely seen as an extraordinary transgression of judicial norms.
Following the Supreme Court’s verdict, Justice Karnan absconded and was eventually apprehended by the West Bengal police in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, on June 21, 2017. He had been lodged in Presidency Jail in Kolkata before being released on bail by the Supreme Court later that year. The incident sent shockwaves through the Indian legal fraternity, highlighting profound challenges within the judicial system.
Born on June 12, 1967, C.S. Karnan hailed from a village in the Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. He completed his law degree from Madras Law College and enrolled as an advocate in 1994. He served in various judicial capacities before being appointed as an Additional Judge of the Madras High Court in 2009 and later became a permanent judge.
In 2016, he was transferred to the Calcutta High Court. It was during his tenure there that his most contentious actions unfolded. His behaviour and pronouncements often attracted media attention and raised questions about judicial decorum and accountability. Despite the controversies, his passing marks the end of a judicial figure who undeniably left a significant, albeit controversial, mark on India’s legal history.
The Chenab Times News Desk
