Calcutta High Court Judge CS Karnan, who has been missing since he faced arrest under the Contempt of Courts Act, retires on Monday, becoming the first high court judge to retire while absconding. Karnan, who became a judge in 2009, has found himself in the middle of controversies several times in his tenure.
Karnan faced the Supreme Court’s wrath in 2017 after he accused 20 sitting and retired Supreme Court and high court judges of being corrupt. He also “sentenced” Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and seven other apex court judges to five-years imprisonment after he “found them guilty” under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989) and the amended Act of 2015.
In May, a seven-judge bench found him guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to six-months in jail. Before the West Bengal Police could arrest Karnan, the judge reportedly left for Chennai and has been untraceable ever since.
The police have not been able to track him even with the help of the Tamil Nadu police.
Also, due to the order of arrest against him, Karnan will not receive a formal farewell, also becoming the first high court judge to miss out on his farewell.
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