Ram Jethmalani fires salvo at Justice CS Karnan, calls him 'lunatic' and urges him to withdraw statements

The Justice CS Karnan fiasco took an unexpected turn on Saturday after noted lawyer and Rajya MP Ram Jethmalani wrote a scathing letter to the Calcutta High Court justice, calling him a “lunatic” and asking him to withdraw his statements casting aspersions on the judiciary. The Supreme Court on Friday had issued a bailable warrant against Calcutta High Court Justice for refusing to heed summons to appear in a contempt of court case. However, the judge hit back by ordering the CBI to probe all the seven apex court judges in the constitution bench and alleged that he is being targetted for being a Dalit. A seven-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar had asked the West Bengal Director General of Police to serve the bailable warrant personally to Justice Karnan and sought his presence before it on 31 March. The bench also asked Justice Karnan to furnish a personal bond of Rs 10,000. [caption id=“attachment_3194870” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of CS Karnan. Bar and Bench website[/caption] Jethmalani wrote in the letter, “I am sorry to tell you that I am convinced you have lost your mind. Your behaviour is that of a lunatic and someday that may be the only defence available to you though with no bright chance of success”. The former union law minister warned Karnan to apologise for casting aspersions against 20 “corrupt” judges, seeking probe against them to curb “high corruption” in the Indian judiciary. Jethmalani wrote, “As a senior member of the Bar and living in the departure lounge of God’s airport I am advising you to withdraw every word that you have uttered and humbly pray for pardon for every stupid action you have so far indulged in.” Defending the sanctity of the Indian judiciary, he added that it is the only protection that the common man have in the “corruption-dominated country” and warned him to neither destroy or weaken it. Concluding his letter, Jethmalani added that he has been working all his life for the backward classes and advised Karnan to listen to his advice. “As a lawyer I have worked all my life for the backward classes and I have great concern and sympathy for them. But you are out to cause the greatest damage to their interests. Please listen to sensible advice of an old man who has hardly any concern other than service to the nation including the backward classes,” he said. It is to be noted that a bench of seven Supreme Court judges had started contempt of court proceedings against the Calcutta High Court judge for levelling allegations of corruption against the Madras High Court chief justice and other judges repeatedly. Read the full letter below:

With inputs from agencies