Karnan ‘resurfaces’ in Central Chennai seat

He filed his nomination from the Central Chennai constituency on Monday.

Confirming his decision to contest the Lok Sabha Elections, Justice Karnan said his focus will be to expose corruption in the government and the judiciary.

In May 2018, he had launched a political party, ‘Anti Corruption Dynamic Party’. Subsequently, there were unconfirmed reports that the party would contest elections in the 2019 General Election.

Karnan has the dubious distinction of being the first sitting judge in the history of India to be found guilty of contempt of court.

The former Madras and Calcutta High Court judge was released from a Kolkata prison on December 20, 2017, after having served a six-month prison term imposed upon him by the Supreme Court.

A website launched recently, justicekarnan.com, has published letters purportedly written by the judge to the authorities, claiming that attempts had been made on his life during his stint in prison.

Another former high court judge, Justice Hasnain Masoodi, is contesting Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag constituency in Jammu & Kashmir. He is contesting on a National Conference party ticket.

The 65-year-old former judge, who retired from the Jammu & Kashmir High Court in January 2016, is currently serving as the Chairman of Selection-cum-Oversight Committee under the Juvenile Justice Act.