Justice Karnan released from prison

Former Calcutta High Court judge Justice C.S. Karnan was released from prison on Wednesday after serving a six month term for contempt of the Supreme Court.

Wearing a suit and a blue tie, the retired judge came out of the Presidency Correctional Home (in Bengal, jails are called correctional homes) at around 10.30 a.m., escorted by the police and prison officials.

He was received by his wife Sarassati Karnan and elder son who had flown in to the city from Chennai on Tuesday evening.

Counsel Mathew J. Nedumpara said Karnan would stay in Kolkata for a few days.

"His physical condition is stable now. Karnan will stay in Kolkata for the next few days as he has some personal works pending. He will move to Chennai after that," Nedumpara told IANS.

The 62-year-old judge was handed out the prison term on May 9 by the apex judiciary.

A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by then Chief Justice J.S. Khehar, had asked the West Bengal Director General of Police to take Karnan into custody.

After remaining untraceable for over a month, he was arrested on June 20 by the West Bengal CID officials from Coimbatore and brought to Kolkata the next evening.

He was the first sitting judge to be sentenced to prison.

Karnan retired on June 12.

--IANS

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