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Justice Chinnaswamy Swaminathan Karnan, known for his controversial statements about the judiciary, was born in 1955 at Karnatham Village, Virudhachalam Taluk, Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu.
Karnan came to limelight after he was appointed Madras High Court judge in 2009. His first controversial act came in November 2011, when he lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) against fellow judges alleging that he was being harassed as he was from a backward community.
In an unprecedented act in January 2014, Karnan barged into a court hall where a bench was hearing a case with regard to the list of names recommended for the post of judges and claimed that “it was unfair selection” and he would file an affidavit on the issue.
Not satisfied with Justice Karnan’s behaviour, the Supreme Court in March 2014 observed the incident as “...uncharitable, ungenerous and... indecorous.”
Irked by Justice Karnan’s series of controversial acts, the then Madras High Court Justice R K Agarwal
wrote to the then Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam seeking Karnan’s transfer.
Agarwal, in his complaint, charged that Karnan suddenly entered into his chambers and shouted for seeking a change in portfolio. In 2015, he accused a sitting HC judge of sexually assaulting an intern in his chambers.
Similarly, he stayed an administrative order of then Madras HC judge Justice S K Kaul with regard to the selection of civil judges and said he would ask the NCSC to initiate proceedings against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Finally, the apex court intervened and stayed his interim order for undermining the authority of the chief justice.
In February 2016, Karnan said he was ashamed that he was born in a country where caste system still exists. He was transferred to Calcutta High Court on March 11, 2016. Alleging that the Supreme Court had transferred him without hearing his arguments, Karnan said the order is against the Constitution.
Karnan said he will order an FIR against the SC judges.
Karnan came to limelight after he was appointed Madras High Court judge in 2009. His first controversial act came in November 2011, when he lodged a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) against fellow judges alleging that he was being harassed as he was from a backward community.
In an unprecedented act in January 2014, Karnan barged into a court hall where a bench was hearing a case with regard to the list of names recommended for the post of judges and claimed that “it was unfair selection” and he would file an affidavit on the issue.
Not satisfied with Justice Karnan’s behaviour, the Supreme Court in March 2014 observed the incident as “...uncharitable, ungenerous and... indecorous.”
Irked by Justice Karnan’s series of controversial acts, the then Madras High Court Justice R K Agarwal
wrote to the then Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam seeking Karnan’s transfer.
Agarwal, in his complaint, charged that Karnan suddenly entered into his chambers and shouted for seeking a change in portfolio. In 2015, he accused a sitting HC judge of sexually assaulting an intern in his chambers.
Similarly, he stayed an administrative order of then Madras HC judge Justice S K Kaul with regard to the selection of civil judges and said he would ask the NCSC to initiate proceedings against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Finally, the apex court intervened and stayed his interim order for undermining the authority of the chief justice.
In February 2016, Karnan said he was ashamed that he was born in a country where caste system still exists. He was transferred to Calcutta High Court on March 11, 2016. Alleging that the Supreme Court had transferred him without hearing his arguments, Karnan said the order is against the Constitution.
Karnan said he will order an FIR against the SC judges.
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(Published 09 May 2017, 20:35 IST)
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