Supreme Court rejects plea seeking interim bail and suspension of sentence.

C.S. Karnan, former Calcutta High Court judge arrested in Coimbatore on Tuesday night, was brought here on Wednesday afternoon.

A calm and smiling Mr. Karnan waved to the crowd and the media at airport as the police escorted him out of the premises.

“The Bengal police team arrived with Justice Karnan at the Kolkata airport around 2 p.m. His medical examination was conducted within the airport premises, and he was taken to the Presidency Jail [in south Kolkata] around 3 p.m.,” Additional Director-General of Police, Criminal Investigation Department, Rajesh Kumar told The Hindu.

Mr. Kumar said that during the medical examination, the former judge “cooperated” with the police. On Tuesday, Justice Karnan allegedly threatened Bengal police officials with legal action when they arrived in Coimbatore to arrest him.

Director-General of Police (Home Guards) Raj Kanojia, who led the Bengal police team, told presspersons: “We arrested him [Justice Karnan] in Coimbatore by using our source information. He was in Chennai, Kerala and eventually in Coimbatore.”

Difficult task

A senior CID official described the arrest as a “difficult task”. “When such a senior person is involved we can’t treat him like an ordinary criminal,” he said. Justice Karnan was arrested from a resort at Malumichampatti, near Coimbatore, between Podanur and Madukkarai. The judge retired on June 12.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court rejected Justice Karnan’s plea seeking interim bail and suspension of the six-month jail sentence awarded to him for contempt of court.

Justice Karnan had been evading arrest since May 9 following the apex court’s verdict sentencing him to imprisonment for contempt. The Bengal police team arrested the former judge about 40 days after arriving in Chennai.

C.S. Karnan being brought to the Coimbatore Airport on the way to Chennai on Tuesday night. M. Periasamy

Mr. Karnan was taken to a state-run hospital in the evening when he complained of chest pain. “Karnan complained of chest pain at the airport itself.

He was checked by our doctors there and then brought to the Presidency correctional home where he complained that his chest pain had aggravated,” a senior official told PTI.

It was learnt that Mr. Karnan’s blood pressure was quite high and doctorsl recommended him to be taken to the SSKM hospital.

(With PTI inputs)