Lawyer says justice Karnan in Chennai, moves SC seeking recall of 6-month jail term order

NEW DELHI (TIP): The Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to consider hearing a petition by Calcutta high court justice CS Karnan seeking a review of his conviction and six-month jail sentence amid continuing confusion over his whereabouts. His counsel Mathews Nedumpara told the top court that Karnan was in Chennai. But a five-member police team has been unable to trace him in the Tamil Nadu capital for two days now. “I have sought a recall of the seven-judge bench’s order since no charges were framed against justice Karnan,” he said. Nedumpara also furnished a signed document authorising him to appear on behalf of the controversial judge.

Karnan’s legal adviser W Peter Ramesh Kumar said the judge might have crossed the border to Bangladesh or Nepal and that they were planning to approach the President for relief. “We want the President to refer the case to the International Court of Justice, just as was done in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav,” Kumar, an advocate at Madras high court, told HT.

Nedumpara also ruled out the possibility of Karnan tendering any apology. “Justice Karnan has not authorised me to tender apology on his behalf and he is in no mental condition to apologise,” Nedumpara told HT. Karnan was convicted of contempt by the top court on Tuesday. This came a day after the judge sentenced Khehar and six other SC judges to five years in jail under the SC/ST act. Source: HT