Supreme Court refuses to accept CS Karnan's plea to suspend his six-month sentence

Supreme Court has refused to accept a relief plea filed by Calcutta High Court judge CS Karnan seeking suspension of an order which had awarded him six months in jail for contempt of court. The top court also said that due process would be followed in the case.

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After Justice Karnan's lawyer pleaded for an urgent hearing on suspension of the sentence, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar asked him to first file the petition before the registry.

The CJI refused to accept the copy of the petition submitted by advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, who appeared on behalf of Karnan. "We are not the registry. You file the petition before the registry. You cannot keep on handing papers to us. You have to follow the procedure," Justice Khehar said.

Justice Khehar also said that the case would be heard by the same bench which had held the judge guilty of contempt.

According to Justice Khehar, the decision by the bench, which also includes Justices Dipak Misra, J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur, Pinaki Chandr Ghose and Kurian Joseph, was a conscious one and they alone will be hearing any plea submitted against the order.

Moreover, there is a very low probability that the seven-member bench would re-assemble to hear his plea for suspension of his sentence, as the apex court is on summer recess.

The Supreme Court had sentenced Karnan to six-month jail on Tuesday, May 9. The order came after Karnan "sentenced" Justice Khehar and six other Supreme Court judges to five years in jail on May 8 after he "found them guilty" under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Act, 1989, and the amended Act of 2015.

Meanwhile, advocate Nedampura has said that Karnan, who has been untraceable, is in Chennai.