Former Calcutta and Madras High Court judge Justice CS Karnan was released from prison on Wednesday after serving six months of imprisonment for contempt of court, his counsel Mathew J Nedumpara said.
"Justice Karnan has been released from Presidency Jail," Nedumpara said. The 62-year-old judge was on handed out the prison term by the apex court on May 9.
In a statement, Nedumpara on Tuesday evening, had said, “"It is a matter of great pleasure, nay, relief, that Justice Karnan will be released from Presidency Jail, Kolkata, tomorrow, on the completion of six months of imprisonment."
But it was not clear if Justice Karnan would be freed on Wednesday morning itself.
"When exactly he will be released is not clear. It could be morning, or late in the evening, if they insist on him completing the last day in jail," said the former judge's confidante M Malaviya on Tuesday.
Background
In its judgement of May 9 which was made available on July 5, the Supreme Court had said in a statement that Justice CS Karnan had committed "grossest and gravest" act of contempt of court, thereby making himself "liable to be punished, for his unsavoury actions and behaviour”.
The bench of seven judges was headed by then Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar. Other judges on the bench were Justice Dipak Misra, Justice J Chelameswar, Justice Ranjan Gogpoi, Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose and Justice Kurian Joseph.
Justice Karnan, who was a former judge of the Madras and Calcutta high courts, in June, became the first sitting judge in India to be jailed for contempt of court.