The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Karnan seeks recall of SC contempt order
JUSTICE C S Karnan, sentenced to six months’ jail by the Supreme Court for contempt of court, on Thursday sought a “recall” of the order and a “stay” on the court’s directive to arrest him.
His petition was mentioned before a five-judge Constitution bench headed by the Chief Justice of India just as it finished the day’s hearing petitions challenging the practice of triple talaq.the CJI asked Karnan’s counsel Mathews J Nedumpara if he had the power of attorney to represent his client, to which the counsel answered in the affirmative. Nedumpara said all the advocates of record whom he had approached to get the petition signed had refused to do so, “such is the fear of your lordships”. He said the apex court registry too declined to accept his petition, forcing him to appear before the Chief Justice of India, J S Khehar.
Justice Khehar said this was not the right bench to hear the matter. But the counsel persisted and said he was making a personal submission. Justice Khehar then said: “You have submitted your plea. We will examine it.”
While Nedumpara said Justice Karnan was in Chennai, an associate of the judge in Chennai added to the uncertainty about his whereabouts by suggesting that he may have left the country and may return only if he is allowed to speak to the President.
In Chennai, a five-member Kolkata Police team waited to arrestthecalcuttahighcourtjudge.
W Peter Ramesh Kumar, an associate of Justice Karnan, said that although the media and Chennai Police were told that Justice Karnan had left the Chepauk government guest house on Wednesday morning to visit Kalahasti, about 130 km north of Chennai and in Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh, Kumar said only the judge’s cellphone had travelled to Kalahasti while he took a direction towards north.
Kumar said Karnan might have crossed the Indian border into “Nepal or Bangladesh” but refused to elaborate on details.
He said Karnan might have crossed the Indian border early Thursday morning. “He took a road route,” he said.
Kumar said Justice Karnan will return only if the President, who appointed him, gave him a hearing.
“Justice Karnan will not surrender until he gets justice. Only the operative part of SC order is available now. Unless he gets an elaborate copy of the SC order, he will not be able to analyse the judgment. It was the President who appointed him and there are protocols for both of them to meet .... Moreover, his petition against 20 senior SC judges and their corruption charges is still lying with the President and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When he was sentenced to prison, what happens to that petition and charges he raised against the SC judges? His petition is not yet rejected,” Kumar said.
He said Justice Karnan will file a review petition in the Supreme Court after he gets a clear picture.