Karnan remains elusive, last tracked in Tada

Justice Karnan, who was staying at the State Guest House in Chepauk after his arrival to Chennai on Tuesday, had reportedly left the same evening for Tada in Andhra Pradesh. 

Police claim that Justice Karnan had switched off his mobile phone at Tada around 5.30 pm on Tuesday and his whereabouts since then are not known. 

The Kolkata police team had gone to Tada on Tuesday and are yet to return to Chennai. Reliable sources confirmed that Justice Karnan had left Chennai for Kalahasthi on Tuesday and after visiting Kalahasthi had come down to Tada. “His cell phone location was found to be in Tada around 5.30 pm. He then switched off the phone and we believe that he could have left for Kolkata by road,” a senior official attached to the city police said.

“We have extended our full support to Kolkata team. But before Kolkata police could reach him, the judge had left for Andhra Pradesh,” the official added. When contacted, City Commissioner of Police Karan Singha told DTNext that the city police were extending all help to the Kolkata team. 

Justice Karnan while staying in the State Guest House in Chepauk had addressed the media in his room on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a group of advocates protested outside the state guest house, alleging that Justice Karnan was being victimised. The city police said they had closed the main gate to the guest house to avoid any untoward incident. 

This is the first time that a sitting High Court judge has been awarded a jail sentence by the apex court on charges of contempt.