SC order of medical examination ridiculous: Justice Karnan

Kolkata, May 1 (IANS) Calcutta High Court Justice C.S. Karnan on Monday termed the apex court's order for conducting a medical examination on him as "ridiculous", and instead ordered the Delhi Police to produce the seven apex court judges before a psychiatric board.

"The said order is a ridiculous order without proper application of mind in following appropriate procedures as required...the seven accused judges have desperately adopted this ridiculous order, in order to escape the punishment leviable via the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (prevention of) atrocity act," Karnan said in a press release.

"With their phenomenal behaviour, it is the said seven judges who actually require medical examination," he said.

Earlier in the day, a seven-judge Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar directed the constitution of a medical board to examine Karnan on May 4 and submit the evaluation report on May 8.

Justice Karnan further claimed that such an order is an "additional insult" to a Dalit judge like him, who is of "sound health and mind".

"This kind of harassment order against my sanity is an additional insult to an innocent Dalit judge who is of sound health and mind," he said.

He also directed the Delhi Police to present the seven accused judges before a psychiatric medical board under the AIIMS Hospital in Delhi and submit a report on or before May 7 after conducting "appropriate medical tests".

"I further direct the Director General of Police, New Delhi to take all the seven accused judges and produce them to a psychiatric medical board attached to the AIIMS Hospital in New Delhi to conduct appropriate medical tests and submit a copy of the report on or before May 7," he added.

Karnan is facing contempt charges for degrading the judiciary and making allegations of corruption against Supreme Court judges.

On April 13, in a renewed confrontation, Justice Karnan passed a "judicial order" against seven Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice Khehar, for "violating" the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and directed them to "appear" before him on April 28.

The seven judges had issued a suo motu contempt order against Karnan in February after he had in January named 20 "corrupt judges" and sought a probe against them to curb "high corruption" in the Indian judiciary.