Justice Karnan launches party, to contest 2019 LS polls

Former Calcutta High Court Justice C S Karnan announced today the launch of his political party and said it will contest the general elections next year with women candidates only.

His 'Anti-Corruption Dynamic Party' would contest in seats across the country including Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice Karnan said.

"My party will take part in the forthcoming (Lok Sabha) polls in 2019. We will decide on the number of seats but only women candidates will be nominated for contesting," Justice Karnan told reporters on the sidelines of a convention organised by several human rights organisations here.

"We are approaching the Chief Election Commissioner for registration of my party," he said, adding that he wanted corruption to be removed from the country.

The Supreme Court had sentenced Justice Karnan to six-month jail on May 9 last year for contempt of court when he was a serving judge of the Calcutta High Court.

He was arrested by West Bengal CID from Coimbatore on June 20. He was the first high court judge to have retired as a fugitive on June 12.

Justice Karnan, who also served as a judge of the Madras High Court, said he had been requested by the general body of his party to contest from Varanasi Lok Sabha seat in 2019.

"But I don't want to contest from Varanasi. That should also be contested by a woman candidate," he said.

Earlier, addressing the convention, Justice Karnan, a Dalit, said atrocities were being perpetrated regularly on minorities such as Dalits, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Parsis across the country.

"This stands out as most demeaning in the eyes of international community, even though we Indians boast of our country being the largest democracy in the world," he said.

He urged those belonging to upper castes to protect the interests of the minorities and Dalits, "since they are the weaker sections of the society".

"All the state machineries and the central government should protect the interests of minorities and Dalits, which is the paramount duty of the respective governments," he said.

He also demanded immediate release of "innocent social activists who are languishing in jails".

He made this statement when the speakers representing the organisers alleged that many social activists are jailed though charges against them were not proved.

The Convention was organised by Dr B R Ambedkar Sangh, South Asian Dalit Forum and Bandimukti Committee and others.