C.S. Karnan, a former judge of the Madras and Calcutta High Courts, died on Friday, November 13, 2026, in Chennai. He was 71 years old and had been receiving treatment at a private hospital due to illness before his passing.
Born on June 12, 1955, in Karnatham village in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district, Karnan enrolled as an advocate with the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on April 11, 1984. He practiced primarily in civil, criminal, constitutional, and service matters before the Madras High Court, City Civil Courts, and Family Courts. He was elevated as a judge of the Madras High Court in 2009 following a recommendation by a collegium led by the then Chief Justice A.K. Ganguly and endorsed by a Supreme Court collegium headed by then-Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan.
Karnan’s tenure was marked by significant controversy, particularly during his time at the Calcutta High Court, where he was transferred in March 2016. In 2017, a seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, led by then-CJI J.S. Khehar, initiated suo motu contempt of court proceedings against him after he publicly accused several sitting and retired judges of corruption. The Supreme Court eventually found him guilty of criminal contempt and sentenced him to six months of imprisonment.
Leading up to this sentence, Karnan had defied a Supreme Court order to undergo a medical examination at the Pavlov Government Hospital in Calcutta, declaring in writing that he was in a stable, normal state of mind. On May 8, 2017, he issued an "order" sentencing the then-CJI and seven Supreme Court judges to five years of rigorous imprisonment under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The following day, the Supreme Court delivered its final sentencing in the contempt case.
Key facts
- C.S. Karnan was born on June 12, 1955, and was 71 years old at the time of his death.
- He was elevated to the Madras High Court as a judge in 2009.
- The Supreme Court sentenced him to six months of imprisonment for contempt of court in 2017.
- He was jailed again in 2020 following his retirement from judicial service.
- He was a native of Karnatham village in Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu.
Background
During his tenure as a Madras High Court judge, Karnan had previously expressed grievances regarding his treatment by fellow judges, alleging discrimination against himself as a member of a Scheduled Caste and raising concerns regarding judicial appointments.
Source: Indian Express, The Hindu
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