Warrant order is wrong, should not be executed: Justice Karnan

Terming the bailable warrant issued against him by a seven-judge Supreme Court Constitution bench 'wrong', Calcutta High Court Justice C.S. Karnan on Saturday said the order should not be executed against him.

Asked by reporters at his residence in New Town here whether he will appear before the apex court as directed, he retorted: "Why?"

He alleged the "honourable judges having poor knowledge in the legal field committed the error".

This was Justice Karnan's second interaction with the media in as many days.

On Friday, he told the media that the Supreme Court's bailable warrant against him was "unconstitutional and a deliberate attempt to ruin my life" as a Dalit judge.

The apex court on Friday issued a bailable warrant against Justice Karnan for refusing to heed summons to appear before it in a contempt case initiated suo motu by the court.

The Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar also asked the West Bengal Director General of Police to serve the bailable warrant personally on Justice Karnan and sought his presence before the apex court on March 31.

"The order passed by the learned judges is an error... The seven judges passed the order which is out of law. Therefore, the order should not be implemented, carried out, executed against me," Justice Karnan said on Saturday.

He said: "Suo motu contempt was issued by the seven judges on the basis of my written complaint to the Prime Minister of India. I mentioned 20 judges are corrupted. They (20 judges) did not come forward to initiate legal action against me. Why (then) the suo motu contempt was issued against me?"

Responding to a query, Justice Karnan said so far the warrant has not been served on him.

He said the public should not comply with wrong orders. "If any judge passes wrong orders, the public need not cooperate with wrong order that is not suitable for execution."

The High Court Justice had in January named 20 "corrupt judges", seeking probe against them to curb "high corruption" in the Indian judiciary.

Mentioning corruption cases allegedly involving two judges, Justice Karnan on Saturday said an inquiry was a must but no action was taken and instead "corrupt judges are being protected".

He said: "I admit the Indian Judiciary is corrupted."

-- IANS

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