Former Madras High Court judge C.S. Karnan, under arrest for having made vituperative and filthy comments against sitting as well as retired judges, has told the court that he acted in an “improper manner” because he was suffering from severe depression after serving a six-month prison term awarded by the Supreme Court in 2017 for contempt of court.
Also read: In depth | Justice Karnan vs Supreme Court: saga of a defiant judge
Seeking bail in one of the many cases booked for his recent abusive videos circulated on social media, the former judge said: “The petitioner have (sic) been suffering from serious and severe depression and disturbance after his retirement and his incarceration and over a period of time the same had aggravated and had caused the petitioner to act in an improper manner.
“The petitioner during such time was under severe trauma and not of proper mindset and due [to] such depression the petitioner without full comprehension of his certain actions has been done by him and such actions were done without realizing its consequences. The petitioner is undergoing treatment for the same.”
Pointing out that he had appeared before the cyber crime cell attached to the Central Crime Branch police here for inquiry on November 26 and 28 and extended full cooperation to the inquiry officer, the former judge said that no video “containing obscene and vulgar language” was released after he gave an undertaking to the police during inquiry.
Further, stating that he tested positive for COVID-19 after his arrest on December 2 and was treated at Government Stanley Hospital, the petitioner said that he was subsequently discharged from hospital and was now confined in the central prison at Puzhal near here.
