The Supreme Court on Monday constituted a medical board in Kolkata to examine the mental health of Calcutta High Court judge C S Karnan, who is facing contempt proceedings.

SC orders medical test of Justice Karnan, next hearing on- India Tv

 
SC orders medical test of Justice Karnan, next hearing on May 9

The Supreme Court on Monday constituted a medical board in Kolkata to examine the mental health of Calcutta High Court judge C S Karnan, who is facing contempt proceedings for making allegations of corruption against judges of Madras High Court as well as the Supreme Court.

The medical board to examine Justice Karnan will be set by the government hospital in Kolkata, and it will have to submit its report in the SC on or before May 8, the top court said. Accordingly, the matter has been posted for hearing on May 9.

The apex court also directed the West Bengal DGP to set up a team of police officials to assist the medical board in examining Justice Karnan.

It has also asked Justice Karnan to file his response, if he wants to. In case Justice Karnan decides not to file his response, the court would presume that he has nothing to say, said the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the apex court has also directed all courts, tribunals, commissions across the country against considering any order passed by Justice Karnan after February 8, the date it restrained him from taking up judicial work.

The move comes after Justice Karnan defied the Supreme Court once again by not appearing before it on Monday.

Karnan, who is set to retire in June, was stripped of his judicial and administrative powers by the Supreme Court on February 8.

In an unprecedented order, the Supreme Court had issued the arrest warrant against Justice Karnan to ensure his presence before it on March 31 in a contempt case.

Taking serious note of the blatant defiance shown by Justice CS Karnan to the Supreme Court’s directions, the latter had asked the Kolkata judge if he was mentally fit.

On April 13, Justice Karnan had passed a suo-moto order against Chief Justice of India JS Khehar and six other Supreme Court judges, ‘directing’ them to appear before him on April 28.

Justice Karnan, a sitting High Court judge who has been stripped of his powers by the apex court, had “ruled” that seven Supreme Court judges – Chief Justice J S Khehar along with Justices Dipak Misra, J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur, Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Kurian Joseph — were “offenders” under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Atrocities Act and “should not be permitted to travel outside of India.”

The seven judges had issued a suo motu contempt order against Karnan in February after he had in January named 20 “corrupt judges”, seeking probe against them to curb “high corruption” in the Indian judiciary.http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india-sc-orders-medical-test-of-justice-karnan-next-hearing-on-may-9-379532