A close aide of Karnan alleges there is widespread prejudice against Dalits in the judiciary, and the former HC judge will once again raise his voice against it.
New Delhi: Former Calcutta High Court judge C.S. Karnan is undettered by his imprisonment for alleged “contempt of the judicial process” and will continue to fight against what he says is “caste discrimination in the judiciary”, a close associate said Wednesday.
The associate was speaking hours after Karnan was released from Kolkata’s Presidency Jail after serving his six-month sentence given by the Supreme Court.
“There is widespread prejudice against Dalits in the judiciary. When he (Karnan) just said it out loud, it became a big deal,” the associate told ThePrint, speaking on the condition that he is not identified.
“He was in good spirits in jail and used his time productively. Six months is a long time, but he is not angry about the prison time,” he added. Karnan even offered legal aid to his fellow inmates, it is learnt.
What led to Karnan’s arrest and sentencing
Last year, Karnan had written to several important persons, including the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India, the Union law minister and judges across high courts, alleging corruption against several serving and retired judges.
In 2011, he had also written to the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, alleging caste-based discrimination from other judges of the Madras High Court, where he was a judge then.
The apex court had taken suo motu cognisance of Karnan’s alleged misconduct while he was serving as a judge in the Madras High Court. He was subsequently transferred to the Calcutta High Court.
In May, a seven-judge bench of the apex court had ordered Karnan’s arrest while he was serving as a judge of the high court. Karnan initially evaded arrest, but was picked up by the West Bengal police days after his retirement as a high court judge.
Many in the legal fraternity criticised the court’s handling of the issue. Current Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal, who had intervened in the case, had also asked the court to “allow Karnan to retire with dignity”. However, then-Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi made a strong case for making an example of him.
What the future holds
A member of Karnan’s family, who did not wish to be identified, told ThePrint that the former judge would now move back to Chennai.
“He has to prepare himself mentally to go back to Chennai. He will be here (Kolkata) till the weekend, and sort out his pension etc,” the family member said.
Meanwhile, advocate Mathews J. Nedumpara, who heads the National Lawyers’ Campaign for Judicial Transparency and Reforms, said his organisation would support Karnan in his campaign.
“This time, we’ll assist him to keep the focus on the issue and avoid unnecessary controversy. He’s fighting for judicial reforms,” Nedumpara said.