A seven-judge bench sentenced the judge to six-month jail time finding him guilty of contempt of court.
After being sentenced to a six-month jail term, justice Karnan had on 12 May moved the apex court for relief, saying neither the high courts nor their judges were "subordinate" to it. Karnan, who turned 62 on Monday, was appointed Madras High Court judge in the year 2009, and was later transferred to West Bengal in the year 2016 by the Supreme Court.
In order to execute the Supreme Court directive, a team of the West Bengal police led by a director-general of police-rank officer has been camping in Chennai since May 10, but in vain.
A retiring judge is also given a farewell by lawyers, though not mandatory.
Importantly, the court made a decision to not give Karnan any official farewell or chance to address his colleagues in the court one last time.
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To this day, it remains a mystery as to how a judge of a High Court can disappear from law enforcement agencies without leaving any clue. "This was not held as he was not present", Calcutta High Court registrar general Sugato Majumdar said.
Unlike what happens in the case of the common man, in the case of Justice Karnan they have to follow procedures and take the help of Tamil Nadu police in arresting him, Jaiswal said.
Though he arrived in Chennai early on May 9 and was seen chatting with his visitors and journalists at the state guest house till a couple of hours after the apex court's arrest order, he went underground soon after, without the knowledge of his personal security and protocol officials.
"Owing to the unprecedented condition prevailing after the Supreme Court order and owing to his absence, a farewell could not be considered", Calcutta High Court Bar Association president Suranjan Dasgupta said.
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