Justice CS Karnan, who was arrested in Coimbatore on Tuesday and brought back to Chennai, applied for bail at the Supreme Court on Wednesday through advocate Mathews J Nedumpara.

Informing the court that the just-retired Kolkata High Court judge had been arrested, Nedumpara appealed for bail to the vacation bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul.

Justice Chandrachud said since this case was heard by a seven-judge bench “we are also bound by that order so we cannot in anyway pass any orders.”

The advocate pleaded that the current bench can at least suspend the order. He said: “Your lordships have all the powers, a magistrate can also grant a bail. Just grant me bail till the reopening (of the courts).”

The court refused to grant bail.

—India Legal Bureau