It seems Calcutta high court judge CS Karnan, sentenced to six month in jail for contempt of court by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar, might have crossed over to Nepal or Bangladesh, according to his close aide and legal advisor W Peter Ramesh Kumar.
Kumar told the Hindustan Times that they are now preparing for the "next level of legal battle and Karnan needs to be in hiding until that time." Karnan will reportedly only return if the President of India gives him an appointment.
A police team from West Bengal is in Chennai to look for Justice Karnan. The Indian Express reported that Karnan had left the Chepauk government guest house on Wednesday morning to visit Kalahasti, a temple town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
Two other advocates, who came with the judge, have been asked to vacate their rooms in the Chennai guest house, according to IANS. The SC has ordered the Director General of West Bengal Police to set up a team to implement its arrest order. Justice Karnan was found guilty of contempt for hurling corruption charges against Supreme Court judges including the Chief Justice.
Kumar told HT that he wanted the President of India to refer the case to the International Court of Justice, which recently stayed the hanging of alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.