Justice Karnan's party to fight LS polls with only women candidates

Justice Karnan Former Calcutta High Court judge C.S. Karnan addressing the media on May 16 | PTI

Retired justice C.S. Karnan, the former Calcutta High Court judge who was jailed in a contempt case, has claimed he was harassed by the Indian judiciary for raising cases of caste atrocities in the judiciary.

Speaking at a function organised by the Bandi Mukti Committee (Freedom for prisoners) on Wednesday, Karnan said, “The condition of dalits and minorities in India is pathetic. Both are facing huge crisis in their lives as they are deprived of their basic rights.”

Karnan later said he would launch his new party this year and it would fight all 543 seats in the Lok Sabha.

“It will be an all-woman party as far as contesting elections is concerned. All candidates who will fight the election would belong to the fair sex,” he said.

Karnan also said he was requested by supporters to contest the election in Varanasi but he turned it down, saying, “A woman would contest the election in Varanasi.” His party would be named the Anti-Corruption Dynamic Party (ACDP) of India.

Karnan spoke for the first time since his release from Presidency jail in December last year and said he just wanted to tell the truth while alleging corruption in higher levels in the judiciary.

“I wanted to tell being a dalit working in the judiciary how much I was harassed. But I was harassed more for telling this,” he said.

Choton Das, secretary of Bandi Mukti Committee in West Bengal, said that they decided to hold the convention few months back and sent Karnan an invitation through email.

“And he was eager to accept that. He also told us he would speak about the condition of dalits in India,” said Das.

Das said that the convention was also organised for freedom for people who were “illegally detained” by the government of India under different sections.

Prominent of them are Chandrashekar Azad of the Bhim Army who was booked under National Security Act in UP, Subodh Biswas of Assam for launching a movement in favour of refugees in Assam, Chatradhar Mahato of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities in Lalgarh and Amitaba Majumdar, for launching a movement in the Bhangar Liberated Zone.

“The former judge told us that he would launch a movement for their release,” said Das.

Karnan had earlier hinted that after his retirement he would give legal services to people belonging to underprivileged sections in society. But he did not respond to claims that he had any political ambition.

However, while launching the party also, Karnan said he would play the role of catalyst without participating in the election process.