Chennai: As a group of advocates protested outside the State Guest House alleging that Justice Karnan was being victimised, the Chennai Police closed the main gate of the guest house to prevent any trouble.
This is the first time that a sitting high court judge has been awarded a jail sentence by the apex court on charges of contempt. A seven-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar, had also disallowed the media -- print and electronic -- from publishing or airing the contents of further orders passed by Justice Karnan in the ake of the top court order calling for his immediate arrest. “The sentence shall be executed and he be taken into custody forthwith,” the bench had said on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court had on May 1 ordered his medical examination on the ground that he was medically unfit to defend himself in the contempt proceedings initiated on February 8 for his letters to the PM and constitutional authorities seeking probes against certain judges.
Justice Karnan had refused to undergo a medical test and on May 8, Monday, he had passed an order of jail term against 8 SC judges. Following this, the SC had ordered his arrest on Tuesday.
