Justice Karnan issues NBWs against CJI, six other SC judges
Calcutta high court judge Justice CS Karnan ordered issuance of non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against seven judges of the Supreme Court, including the CJI on Tuesday, for not being represented before him, even as the attorney general said he was not sure if the “gentleman” would undergo medical tests as ordered by SC.
Justice Karnan, stating that the top seven judges of the SC have not been represented before him, directed the high court’s registrar general to issue the NBWs to be executed through the director general of police or commissioner of police, New Delhi.
He passed a “suo motu judicial order in the interest of the nation to protect the general public from corruption and unrest”, invoking Article 226 of the Constitution read with Section 482 Criminal Procedure Code.
“Today the accused judges are called absent no representation issue non-bailable warrant against the accused call on 08.05.2017 (sic),” the order signed by Justice Karnan said.
Meanwhile, Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who was arguing in another matter before a bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan, said he was not sure whether Justice Karnan would follow the direction given by a seven-judge bench yesterday to undergo medical check-up regarding his mental health.
The seven-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar, had taken note of the “tenor” of Justice Karnan’s orders and press briefings and directed his medical check-up by doctors with police support, as the Calcutta HCjudge did not appear before it.
Parents of 1054 girls of the government girls’ senior secondary school in Barmer have threatened to pull their children out of school en masse if a wine shop located near the school is not removed by May 4.
Locals have also started an indefinite dharna in front of the liquor shop four days ago demanding its closure, forcing Barmer district collector Sudheer Sharma to order its temporary closure.
At a meeting of the school development management committee (SDMC) on Monday, parents said that if the shop is not removed by May 4 when results of the 2016-17 session are declared, they would apply to pull out their daughters.
Earlier on Sunday, women protesters forcefully entered the liquor shop and asked the owner to close it. Some protesters also tried to vandalise the shop before police reached the spot and evicted them.
A delegation of women protestors had also met chief minister Vasundhara Raje in Jodhpur on Sunday to demand closure of the shop. Protestors claimed the chief minister assured them that she would direct authorities to take action.
But district collector Sharma said that no such direction had been issued yet.
He quoted excise department officials saying that all norms were followed for the opening of the wine shop.
Sharma added that considering the protest, they are planning to explore another location for the liquor store.
A DELEGATION OF WOMEN PROTESTORS HAD ALSO MET CM VASUNDHARA RAJE TO DEMAND CLOSURE OF THE SHOP NEAR THE GOVERNMENT SCHOOL