Former Madras High Court judge C.S. Karnan (71), who was sentenced to prison by the Supreme Court while still in office and was known for his outspoken views, died in Chennai on Friday (November 13, 2026).
He had been suffering from ill health and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital, but reports say he died despite treatment. Kannan, who hailed from Cuddalore district, was born on June 12, 1955. He enrolled as an advocate with the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Bar Council in 1984 and had been arguing civil, criminal, constitutional, and service-related cases in the Madras High Court, city civil courts, and family courts.
Following the recommendation made by the then Madras High Court collegium comprising Chief Justice A.K. Ganguly and Justices S.J. Mukhopadhyaya and P.K. Misra, which was accepted by the Supreme Court collegium comprising Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan and senior judges P.N. Agarwal and Arijit Pasayat, he took oath as a judge of the Madras High Court in 2009.

During his tenure as a judge of the Madras High Court, he publicly accused his fellow judges of mistreating him because he belonged to a Scheduled Caste.
Following this, he was transferred to the Calcutta High Court on March 10, 2016. Even after moving there, his controversial and dramatic actions continued. In 2017, for making baseless allegations against fellow judges, a seven-judge bench headed by then Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against Kannan. It also barred him from carrying out judicial and administrative duties.
While serving as a judge of the Calcutta High Court, he became embroiled in a major controversy by issuing non-bailable arrest warrants against seven Supreme Court judges, including the then Chief Justice of India. This action caused major shockwaves in Indian judicial circles and brought him national attention.
After retirement, he had been living with his family in Chennai and was recently admitted to the hospital due to ill health. He passed away this morning after treatment there proved unsuccessful. Judge Karnan remains a figure who will always be remembered in the Indian judiciary for his bold yet controversial actions.