Former Madras High Court judge Justice C.S. Karnan (71) passed away on Friday morning while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Chennai following health complications. He was also a controversial figure, having become the first sitting High Court judge in India to be sentenced to imprisonment in a contempt of court case.

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He obtained his law degree from Madras Law College in 1983 and began practising as an advocate. He was appointed an Additional Judge of the Madras High Court in March 2009 and became a permanent judge in March 2011.

His judicial career was marked by frequent disputes and controversies involving fellow judges and the Supreme Court. In November 2011, he alleged that fellow judges were harassing him because he belonged to the Dalit community. He had also levelled similar allegations against the then Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, Sanjay Kishan Kaul.

In 2014, he appeared during court proceedings and opposed the names recommended for appointment as judges. In 2016, he triggered a controversy by staying his own transfer order to the Calcutta High Court.

In January 2017, after writing to the Prime Minister alleging corruption among judges, the Supreme Court initiated suo motu contempt of court proceedings against him. On May 9, 2017, a seven-judge bench headed by then Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar sentenced him to six months in prison.

Karnan was born on June 12, 1955, in Karnatham, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu. His father was a teacher, while his mother was a homemaker. He completed his law education at Madras Law College in 1983.

He was appointed judge of the Madras High Court in 2009. Karnan retired from service on June 12, 2017. He was the first judge in the country to retire while remaining in hiding.