Justice Karnan to move SC to seek his release

New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): Calcutta High Court Judge Justice (Retd.) C.S. Karnan, who was arrested yesterday from Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore will move the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking his release and cancellation or suspension of the jail sentence in the contempt of court case. Justice Karnan is facing jail term in contempt of court case and was arrested by the Kolkata Police. As per reports, the Calcutta High Court judge, who was absconding since May 9, will be brought to Kolkata today on transit remand. Earlier on June 7, the apex court refused to grant relief to Justice Karnan in the contempt of court case where he was sentenced to six-month imprisonment. The apex court earlier on May 19 rejected Justice Karnan's plea for recall of the six-month jail term for contempt of court, stating that the petition was "not maintainable" in the court. "I am constrained, but to hold that the present writ petition is not maintainable. The relief, if any, lies somewhere else. I, thus, see no reasonable cause to receive the present writ petition for registration under the provisions of order XV, rule (5) of the Supreme Court rules, 2013," the Supreme Court Registrar said in the order. Earlier this month, Justice Karnan had approached the apex court seeking recall of the May 9 order, in which he was convicted and was sentenced to six-month imprisonment. The top court had taken suo motu cognizance of numerous letters written by him against judges of the Madras High Court and the apex court and restrained him from exercising administrative and judicial powers from February 8. Karnan is the first ever sitting judge of a higher court in judicial history to be sentenced to jail term. (ANI)