SC slaps contempt notice on HC judge

A seven-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday slapped a contempt notice on Calcutta High Court judge Justice C.S. Karnan for his scurrilous remarks against judges of the Madras High Court and the apex court and restrained him from discharging his judicial and administrative work immediately.

This is for the first time that a sitting High Court judge is facing contempt of court proceedings.

The bench comprising Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justices Dipak Misra, J. Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur, Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Kurian Joseph slapped the notice and directed the personal presence of Justice Karnan before it on February 13.

In 2016, Justice Karnan who was initially posted in the Madras High Court was transferred to the Calcutta HC after he cast aspersions on many judges and ordered a CBI probe against Madras HC Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul.

The Bench after briefly hearing Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, in a jampacked court hall, passed the order after the AG called for stringent action against the judge for writing "very, very scurrilous" letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Constitutional dignitaries accusing them of corruption and caste bias as he hails from SC community.

The court in its order said: “Shri Justice C.C. Karnan, shall forthwith refrain from handling any judicial or administrative work as may have been assigned to him. He is also directed to return all judicial and administrative files in his possession to the Registrar-General, Calcutta High Court. Shri Justice C S Karnan shall remain present in person on February 13 to show cause (why contempt action should not be initiated against him).”