Calcutta High Court judge CS Karnan’s advocate on Thursday told the Supreme Court that the judge was “very much in Chennai”, reported PTI. A five-judge bench has also agreed to consider Karnan’s plea seeking relief in the contempt of court case.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court had held Karnan guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to six months in prison.

Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara revealed Karnan’s whereabouts after the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal police were not able to find and arrest him. Earlier, reports had suggested that he had left the country. The lawyer also showed papers that authorised him to represent Karnan. He said 12 lawyers had refused to represent the judge, according to PTI.

Earlier in the day when West Bengal and Tamil Nadu police officials could not find the judge, the team then travelled to Andhra Pradesh based on information that Karnan had moved on to Srikalahasti. But they could not find him in the temple town either, according to Deccan Chronicle. Meanwhile, another team from the Andhra Pradesh Police that went to look for him in Nellore district, based on his mobile phone signal, also returned without him.

The Tamil Nadu Police have also sent teams to his son’s house in Choolaimedu and his native place in Cuddalore district. Officials said Karnan had left his room at a state guesthouse in Chennai without clearing the bill, hours after the apex court had announced its order.

The tussle between Karnan and his colleagues has been on for months now. While the Calcutta High Court judge has accused several judges in High Courts and the Supreme Court of discriminating against him because he is a Dalit, the top court had ordered a medical test to be conducted on him to ascertain if he was mentally sound. He will retire in June.

Karnan was issued a contempt notice on February 9 for degrading the judiciary and making allegations of corruption against Supreme Court judges. The SC bench had rejected his demand to be allowed to discharge his judicial duties, holding that the 61-year-old High Court judge was not in a clear state of mind. It had issued a bailable warrant against him on March 10.

Karnan had summoned the judges to his “residential court” on April 13, claiming that they had insulted him in open court when they had questioned his mental health during a hearing on March 31.