Supreme Court Sentences Justice Karnan To 6 Months Imprisonment For Contempt Of Court 

NEW DELHI: A day after Calcutta High Court's Justice CS Karnan "sentenced" the Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and seven Supreme Court judges to five years' imprisonment after he "found them guilty" under the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Act, 1989, and the amended Act of 2015, the Supreme Court on Tuesday held Justice Karnan guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to six months in jail.

The court asserted that its order needs to be executed forthwith.

"If we don't send Justice Karnan to jail then there will be a blemish that SC condoned contempt by a judge," a 7-judge bench headed by CJI JS Khehar said in its order.

Taking a strong note of Justice Karnan's remarks, additional solicitor general Maninder Singh, senior advocate KK Venugopal and Rupinder Singh Suri echoed the views of the apex court and said that he needs to be punished.

The Supreme Court further said, "Contempt power does not recognise who is what - a judge or a common man."

The top court also banned media from publishing the content of orders passed by Justice Karnan.

The order comes after Justice Karnan made series of controversial remarks against the top court judges. Justice Karnan's remark comes after contempt proceedings were initiated against him by the CJI-led bench after he continuously levelled corruption allegations against the Madras High Court Chief Justice and other judges.

Karnan, who is set to retire in June, was stripped of his judicial and administrative powers by the SC on February 8. He issued a 12-page "order", pronounced by him in his make-shift court at his residence in Rosedale Tower, Newtown, Kolkata.

Last week, Justice Karnan had refused to undergo a medical examination of his mental health ordered by the SC. He called the order a "big insult" "meant to spoil" his image in society.