Chennai: More than a month after cases were registered against controversial former Calcutta High Court Judge Justice C S Karnan, the Cyber Crime police on Wednesday arrested him on charges of making objectionable comments against women and judicial officers in a video.
The arrest that took place at Avadi, came a day after a Division Bench of Madras High Court, on a case filed by the Bar Council of Tamilnadu and Puducherry, pulled up the police for the delay in taking action against Karnan.
The Bench also directed the DGP and Chennai City Police Commissioner to appear before the court on 7 December.
Cases were registered against him under Sections 153, 295, 351, and 509 of IPC after ten women lawyers of the Madras High Court wrote to Chief Justice of India, Sharad A Bobde, demanding action against Karnan for his objectionable remarks.
In the video, Karnan alleged that some Judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court ‘sexually assaulted women court staff and women judges’ and also named the alleged victims.
In the letter, they contended that Karnan’s remark was a horrific act of violence and an affront on the dignity of women and ‘reveal a deep-rooted misogyny’ and demanded punitive action against him.
It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had sentenced Karnan to six months’ imprisonment in May 2017 after he was found guilty by a Seven-Judge Bench for contempt of the Apex court, the judiciary and judicial process, just six months before his retirement.