Restore my work or I won't appear before you: Defiant Justice Karnan tells SC
March 31, 2017  12:13
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Calcutta High Court's Justice CS Karnan, who gained notoriety for being the first judge to be issued a warrant by the Supreme Court has appeared in court today.

His refusal to turn up before the Supreme Court to face contempt proceedings led the top court to issue a bailable warrant against him.

The 61-year-old controversial judge had skipped previous hearings in the contempt case initiated against him by the Supreme Court.

Justice Karnan who is arguing his own case before the bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar,  told the seven-judge bench to restore his administrative and judicial work taken away from him at the top court's orders."Restore my work or next time, I will not appear before your court," the judge said, adding the court was free to "send me to jail... I am not a terrorist or anti-social person".

CJI Kehar also asks Karnan if he wants to give medical certificates on his mental condition. Karnan declines saying he wants his work restored.

The Supreme Court had initiated the contempt proceedings after the controversial judge sought a probe against 20 "corrupt judges" to curb "high corruption" in the judiciary.

On Friday, the bench gave the judge an opportunity to withdraw his complaint."Do you stand by your complaint against the 20 judges?  Or do you wish to withdraw your complaint and unconditionally apologise," the bench asked him. He refused the offer, insisting that the complaint that he had given was very much under the law".

Justice Karnan told the court, "I am not fighting for my personal gain, I am fighting for general welfare and against the corruption in the Madras High court."

Justice C S Karnan appeared before a bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar, Dipak Misra, J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur, Pinaki Chandra Ghose, Kurian Joseph JJ.

The court has given Karnan four weeks to clarify his position.
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