Threats and Intimidation Against Former Judge Justice Gautam Patel
Chief Justice Surya Kant stepped in on the matter involving threats and intimidation aimed at former Bombay High Court judge Justice Gautam Patel. This happened while he was visiting the UK, raising the issue with India’s High Commissioner there. It came out of a report by The Times of India.
The whole situation follows some public disclosures made by Justice Patel. He said a threatening letter had actually been delivered to his daughter's home in London. Apparently, this seemed connected to a judgment he handed down back in 2024 concerning the Dawoodi Bohra succession dispute.
CJI Surya Kant talked to the High Commissioner P Kumaran about it. The High Commissioner gave assurances. No harm would come to Justice Patel or his family. He also mentioned that London police had made security arrangements.
“I discussed this with the high commissioner,” the CJI told the newspaper. “He assured me no harm would come to him or his family, and that the London police have done adequate security.” That’s what he said.
Justice Patel explained that the latest threat letter was tied up in a judgment from last year. It involved the succession and identity of Syedna, the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community.
The whole thing is currently under appeal. A very real legal situation.
Justice Patel also mentioned that his family has received several anonymous letters over the last ten months. Not just one. Some of them were pretty serious.
- One communication, he said, accused him of delivering his judgment fraudulently and under pressure. The letter demanded something specific. It asked him to upload a video on YouTube. A video where he claimed he had “delivered an incorrect verdict which has caused irreparable harm to the faith and future of a respected community of a million plus members.”
The retired judge spoke about what felt like a deliberate attempt to exploit legal boundaries. Targeting his daughter in the UK, he argued. There was no real attack on him back in Mumbai that would trigger immediate local action. Instead, it was aimed at his daughter, who is British, on British soil. The link to him and the judgment was there, sure. But the actual pressure, the investigation that got localized to the UK. It was a clever play, he said. Leveraging the gap between Mumbai and London.
The Indian High Commissioner informed the CJI that this intimidation seemed rooted in India itself. They felt it connected to litigation coming out of Maharashtra. After that discussion, the CJI made a move. He reached out to the acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
“I sent a message to the acting chief justice of Bombay HC,” he told the paper. “To take appropriate steps on the judicial and administrative side because the litigation involved local parties.”
The CJI is expected back in India on June 12th.
Meanwhile, things got louder outside the courtroom. The Bar Association of India strongly condemned all the threats and intimidation directed at Justice Patel and his family. It was a serious statement. They called it an attack on judicial independence. An attack on the rule of law.
They cited reports about anonymous threats, demands for the former judge to publicly retract his verdict, some talk of a break-in at a residence, an assault on his daughter in London, and another written threat received around June 5th.
The association put it plainly: “The demand that a judge disown a verdict by video, under coercion, is just trying to substitute intimidation for adjudication.” They pointed out that judicial decisions can only be challenged through proper legal channels. Justice Patel’s 2024 ruling was already being challenged before a division bench of the Bombay High Court.
They pushed for authorities in both India and the UK to actually investigate this properly. To make sure the former judge’s family felt safe.
It’s worth remembering that back in April 2024, Justice Patel had upheld Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin’s position as the 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra community. He confirmed his appointment was valid then.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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