It has hardly been five months since Justice (retd.) CS Karnan was released from prison, and now this controversial ex-judge is launching his own political party. The former judge of the Calcutta High Court, who had earned the wrath of the Supreme Court for accusing senior judges of corruption, is set to seek the registration of the 'Anti-corruption Dynamic Party', reports ToI.
What more,Justice Karnan reportedly is planning to field only women in all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies in 2019. And if his party were to come to power, he has said that there will be a different PM every year. He announced his plans at a convention that was organised by the Dr BR Ambedkar Sangh, South Asian Dalit Forum, Bandimukti Committee and others.
“The party has been launched with me as founder president. Only women will contest, and we hope to sweep elections across the country. I was asked to be the only male candidate and contest from Varanasi. However, I feel even Varanasi should be contested by a woman. The decision to field women was taken as we feel they have been discriminated against severely,” he reportedly said.
Justice Karnan claims the PM position would first be held by a Muslim woman, then by a woman from the upper caste and then by a OBC woman. He further went on to say that the atrocities perpetrated against minorities stand out as the most demeaning in the eyes of the international community.
"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 further demanded the immediate release of Dalit leader Chandrashekhar Azad in UP and Chhatradhar Mahato of PCPA in Bengal.
Karnan said, “The first principle of law says a criminal may go unpunished, but the innocent should not be punished under any circumstances...It is my request to the judiciary and the government to release the innocents who are suffering in judicial custody to protect their social status.”
In February 2017, the Supreme Court issued a contempt of court notice against Justice Karnan for allegedly degrading the judicial institution. A seven-judge Bench, heard then Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, who said that Justice Karnan should face contempt proceedings for his “scurrilous” letters. These were against sitting and retired judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court.
In its judgment, the Bench reportedly stated “the actions of Shri Justice C.S. Karnan constituted the grossest and gravest action of contempt of court. He is therefore liable to be punished for his unsavoury actions and behaviour.”
He was later arrested and served a six month sentence before being released in December 2017.