Published Nov 13, 2026 | 5:03 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 13, 2026 | 5:03 PM
His last rites will be performed in his native village in Cuddalore district on Saturday.
Synopsis: Former Madras High Court and Calcutta High Court judge Justice CS Karnan died at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai on Friday, 13 November 2026, aged 71. He came into national prominence in 2017 following a confrontation with the Supreme Court over corruption allegations against sitting and retired judges, for which he was found guilty of contempt of court and sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. He was the first sitting High Court judge in India to be sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court.
Former Madras High Court and Calcutta High Court judge Justice CS Karnan died at Apollo Hospitals in Chennai at around 6.30 am on Friday, 13 November 2026. He was 71.
He had been undergoing treatment for health complications but died despite medical intervention. His last rites will be performed in his native village in Cuddalore district on Saturday, 14 November.
Born on 12 June 1955, in Karnatham village in Cuddalore district, Karnan completed his law degree at Madras Law College in 1983 and began practising as an advocate. He enrolled as an advocate on 11 April 1984, and primarily practised in civil matters before the Madras High Court, City Civil Court and Family Courts.
He was appointed an Additional Judge of the Madras High Court in March 2009 and became a permanent judge in March 2011. In March 2016, he was transferred to the Calcutta High Court, where he served until his retirement in 2017.
Justice Karnan came into national prominence in 2017 following a confrontation with the Supreme Court over corruption allegations against sitting and retired judges.
In January 2017, he wrote to the Prime Minister, alleging corruption by several judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts. The Supreme Court subsequently initiated contempt of court proceedings against him.
During the proceedings, Karnan issued orders against the then Chief Justice of India, JS Khehar, and other Supreme Court judges, including directions sentencing them to imprisonment.
On 9 May 2017, a seven-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by then Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, found him guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment. He thus became the first sitting High Court judge in India to be sentenced to imprisonment for contempt of court.
He remained untraceable for several weeks after the Supreme Court ordered his arrest and was eventually arrested in Coimbatore in June 2017. He was released in December 2017 after completing his six-month prison sentence.
His judicial career was also marked by allegations of caste-based discrimination within the judiciary, which he raised during his tenure at the Madras High Court.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
