Kolkata police arrive in Chennai to arrest Justice Karnan

A group of advocates protests outside the State guest house, alleging that he was being victimised.

Justice C S Karnan of the Calcutta High Court addresses a press conference at his residence in Kolkata.

A Kolkata police team arrived in Chennai on Wednesday to arrest Calcutta High Court Judge Justice C. S. Karnan, a day after the Supreme Court sentenced him to six months’ jail in a contempt case.

Justice Karnan is at present not in Tamil Nadu but at Srikalahasthi in Andhra Pradesh. The judge was staying at the State guest house after his arrival in Tuesday before the apex court delivered its verdict.

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The Kolkata police personnel have spoken to their Tamil Nadu counterparts on executing the arrest order, the local police said.

Sources said the police team, headed by West Bengal DGP Surajit Kar Purkayastha left for Kalahasti by road with Tamil Nadu Police personnel.

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PTI  adds:

As a group of advocates protested outside the State guest house, alleging that Justice Karnan was being victimised, the police said they had closed the main gate of the guest house to forestall any trouble.

This is the first time that a sitting high court judge has been awarded a jail sentence by the apex court on the contempt charge.

A seven-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice J. S. Khehar, had also disallowed the media, both the print and the electronic, from publishing or airing the contents of further orders passed by Justice Karnan.

“The sentence shall be executed and he be taken into custody forthwith,” the Bench had said.