According to a police source, the defiant Calcutta High Court Judge, Justice C S Karnan, is keeping several police teams from three states, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh on their toes, the whole of Wednesday.

He is changing his locations frequently since morning. Now, Karnan has gone underground, says police sources. Karnan was sentenced to six months imprisonment by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. When the seven-bench judge imposed imprisonment sentence on him, Karnan was at the State Guest House in Chennai. He left yesterday morning, saying he was going to Srikalahasti, a pilgrim town in AP, about 120 kilometres from Chennai. A few hours later, a high-level team from the Kolkata Police, flew into the city to arrest and take him as the court had directed that he should be imprisoned in the Calcutta high court jurisdiction area.

Discussions were held with the TN counterparts and the West Bengal Police team led by Surajit Kar Purkayastha, DGP, Home Guards, to make out strategies to hold Karnan, and eventually left for Srikalahasti in the evening. Howver, the two states police teams, along with the AP Police, who were looking for the judge, returned empty-handed, and their search for the judge went in vain in the famous temple town. Another team from AP Police, went to Tada and Sulurpetta in Nellore district.

The second police team, also returned with disappointment, as they could find no clue about the whereabouts of the judge. The team went to Tada after his mobile signal was last picked up near the Andhra Pradesh town close to the Tamil Nadu border. “Since then, both his mobile phones are switched off,” Police sources said.

The Tamil Nadu police also sent teams to residence of Karnan’s son in Choolaimedu in the city as well as his native place in Cuddalore district. To enforce the Supreme Court order, various teams of the three state police were searching for Justice Karnan. Upon the arrival of the TN police, the West Bengal personnel, held discussions with their TN counterparts on executing the arrest order, sources said.

SUPRAJA