Retired HC judge Karnan arrested in Coimbatore

Absconding former Calcutta High Court judge Justice C S Karnan was arrested by the West Bengal CID in Coimbatore on Tuesday.

The arrest comes more than a month after the Supreme Court sentenced him to six- month imprisonment for contempt of court. “We arrested former high court judge Justice Karnan at around 6.45 pm from a private resort at Malumichampatti in Coimbatore,” said a senior officer in the West Bengal CID.

Justice Karnan, who retired on June 12, had been “hiding” in the resort for the last few days and tried to resist the team of CID officers from West Bengal when they tried to arrest him. “He resisted our officers and there was an argument also. Despite that, we arrested him,” the officer said, adding he will be produced in a court in Chennai on Wednesday before being taken to Kolkata. Three police teams from Kolkata were camping in Coimbatore for the past three days and traced the judge on the basis of his phone calls.

Justice Karnan, who has been evading arrest since May 9, became the first high court judge to have retired as a fugitive and also earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court.