Indian Supreme Court puts high court judge behind bars

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI, India

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced a senior high court judge to six months in prison for contempt of court.

Justice Chinnaswamy Swaminathan Karnan will be the first sitting judge of a high court in India to be put behind bars.

A seven-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice J.S. Khehar said: “We are of the unanimous view that Justice C.S. Karnan committed contempt of court, contempt of judiciary and the process.”

In January, 59-year-old Justice Karnan of the Calcutta High Court had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to order a probe against Supreme Court and Madras High Court judges.

Although he had failed to provide any evidence against the judges, he insisted on an investigation and action against the judges. Later, he also accused the seven apex court judges of caste discrimination, which was a significant allegation since he himself belonged to the country’s lower caste. He had also demanded compensation from the judges.

In February, Justice Karnan was stripped of his judicial powers; however, on Monday he still managed to pass an order against Chief Justice of India J.S. Kehar and six other Supreme Court judges, sentencing them to five years in prison.

The high court judge reportedly argued that since the apex court is a separate constitutional office, it could not stand in the way of his court since it was another constitutional office.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court bench ordered a mental health evaluation of Justice Karnan and restrained the media from publishing and broadcasting any of the high court judge’s orders from now on.