Calcutta High Court judge Justice CS Karnan, awarded six-month jail by the Supreme Court for contempt, has filed a mercy plea before President Pranab Mukherjee seeking stay of the order.

Counsel Peter Ramesh Kumar told IANS that the mercy plea was filed on Wednesday, under Article 72 1B of the Constitution.

Article 72 states that the President shall have the power to grant pardons, remissions of punishment or to suspend or commute the sentence of any person convicted of an offence.

However, the President’s office has said, “It was not aware of any such representation.”

Earlier, Ramesh Kumar had said that since Karnan is set to retire in June, sentencing him to jail will delay clearance of his retirement benefits.

High Court judges get paid out of the Consolidated Fund of India.

Justice Karnan was found in contempt of court for hurling corruption charges against Supreme Court and High Court judges.

On May 11, the Supreme Court was moved seeking suspension of the six-month sentence.

Meanwhile, there is still no trace of Justice CS Karnan who has been missing since May 10, a day after the Supreme Court ordered six months’ imprisonment.

Police had earlier searched for him in Chennai, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border but were unable to locate him.

On May 9, Chief Justice JS Khehar had said, “We are punishing him for contempt of Indian judiciary as well as judicial process and his act was of greatest nature of contempt,” according to Live Law. 

(With IANS inputs)