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SC Defers Contempt Hearing By Three Weeks As Justice Karnan Fails To Appear In Court

The apex court had issued the contempt notice on 8 February.
Anindito Mukherjee / Reuters

NEW DELHI -- The Supreme Court on Monday deferred for three weeks a hearing on contempt proceedings against Calcutta High Court judge Justice C.S. Karnan as he did not appear before the court as directed.

A seven-judge constitution bench directed the next hearing on 10 March, noting that "we are not aware of the reasons for non-appearance" of Karnan, said, "We refrain from proceeding in the matter as of now."

The order came even as Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that under the Supreme Court Rules it was mandatory for Karnan to appear.

Rohatgi who is assisting the court in the matter urged the bench to frame a charge and asked Karnan to respond to them on the next date of hearing.

"Frame a charge today (Monday). Record that you (Justice Karnan) have not appeared and showcause him on the charge," Rohatgi told the bench.

As Rohatgi tried to focus on Karnan's non-appearance pointing out that the tone of his communication to the Registrar General of the apex court was no different from his earlier ones, the bench said, "The letter doesn't say he can't appear. He says that he has not been granted time."

The Supreme Court had issued the contempt notice on 8 February.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.