Where is Justice CS Karnan? Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, or abroad?

Calcutta High Court Judge Justice CS Karnan is the first judge to be sentenced to jail by the Supreme Court.

Chennai: The West Bengal Police on Thursday continued its search for Calcutta High Court Judge Justice CS Karnan, sentenced to jail for six months by the Supreme Court.

A police team from Kolkata arrived in Chennai yesterday to arrest him, but he was not found there.

Justice Karnan checked into the Chennai Guest House on Tuesday morning after leaving his home in Kolkata, hours before the apex court delivered its verdict. Later, he addressed the media in his room. However, he checked out of the guesthouse on Wednesday morning allegedly without paying his bill.

Sources said he was to travel to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh to visit a temple in Srikalahasti. But it is not confirmed whether he did make the trip.

Meanwhile, an official at the Andhra temple told IANS over the telephone that there was no trace of the judge.

"He did not arrive yesterday or today. We have no idea if he will reach the temple tomorrow," the official said last night.

Another temple official had earlier said that the judge was likely to reach the Andhra town on Wednesday evening and offer prayers on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, Justice Karnan’s close aide and his legal adviser, W Peter Ramesh Kumar, claimed that the Calcutta High Court judge is escaping arrest and may have left the country, reported The Indian Express.

Kumar claimed that Justice Karnan might have crossed Indian borders to “Nepal or Bangladesh”. “He took a road route,” he said.

NDTV quoted those close to him as saying that Justice CS Karnan wants to meet President Pranab Mukherjee and plans to challenge his sentence.

The apex court had ordered the Director General of West Bengal Police to set up a team to implement its arrest order "forthwith".

Justice Karnan was found guilty of contempt for hurling corruption charges against Supreme Court judges including the Chief Justice.

The 61-year-old is the first judge to be sentenced to jail by the Supreme Court.