Justice Karnan not new to controversies

Courting trouble

His surprise act on Monday staying his own transfer order issued by the Supreme Court is not a new one for Justice Karnan of Madras High Court.

Ridden with series of controversial statements and odd behaviors in the last five years, Justice Karnan always alleges he was a victim of caste discrimination.

Soon after he was appointed as a permanent sitting judge in the Madras High Court, Karnan issued a controversial statement in November 2011, that his four fellow judges had humiliated him on the basis of caste since 2009.

He also said all the Dalit judges were targeted.

In was in June 2013, his controversial judgement reached its heights when Justice Karnan ruled that if any unmarried couple of the right legal age “indulge in sexual gratification”, it is a valid marriage.

The sitting judge said wedding customs including tying mangal thaali only follow the religious customs and will not stand legal examination unless the wedlock is sexually consummated.

 After several criticisms over his judgement on the marriage custom, Karnan was forced to issue a gag order after few days.

Even known for his peculiar acts, Justice Karnan created ruckus in a busy court room in January 2014 by submitting a letter that the appointment of 12 candidates for additional judges post was ‘unfair’.

In May, 2015, Justice Karnan accused a sitting judge of the high court of sexually assaulting an intern in his chambers. In the same month, he also wrote to the Centre to probe into the educational qualification of one of his fellow judge.

 Allegedly irked with his act, even the Supreme Court criticised Karnan’ss conduct.

In another act, Justice Karnan shot off a letter to the Chief Justice of India against the collegium system in June.