DGP, CoP summoned in ex-judge Karnan video row
CHENNAI: Expressing dissatisfaction over the police failing to act against former high court judge CS Karnan over uploading obscene and defamatory content against sitting judges and women advocates, the Madras High Court on Monday summoned the DGP and Chennai Commissioner of Police to physically appear before it on December 7 to assist the court.
A division bench comprising Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice R Hemalatha, on perusing the counter affidavit filed by the police in this regard, pulled up the police for failing to act against the former judge despite several complaints filed by women advocates and the TN Bar Council.
Earlier, during the physical hearing, senior counsel S Prabhakaran, appearing for the bar council, submitted that the police counter in this regard was a mere eyewash and no substantial action as per law has come forth.
He further submitted that while Section 67A and Section 80 of the Information Technology Act augurs for the instant arrest of the accused, the police have merely issued notice to the former judge under Section 41A of the CrPC revealing that the police are deliberately avoiding his arrest.
The counter by the CoP claimed that the investigation officer examined five witnesses including the complainant and during investigation, 21 of the URLs containing abusive videos uploaded in the name of Dr M Dhanasekaran YouTube Channel have been deleted by blocking the said channel.
Similarly, URLs containing abusive videos in the name of Ambedkar Army ACDP YouTube Channel, Justice CS Karnan YouTube Channel and Legal War CS Karnan YouTube Channel have been blocked.
The counter also claimed that the former judge and Dr Dhanasekaran, Secretary Anti-Corruption Dynamic Party, Uthiramerur, who had conspired with each other to commit these acts, appeared before the investigation officer on November 26 and admitted to committing the offence. Voice samples of the former have been collected in front of the witnesses, and besides criminal cases, the duo has been booked under the IT Act as well as Women Harassment Act. The former judge, while castigating sitting judges, had also threatened their families of sexual assault in the videos.