Retired Bombay High Court judge Justice GS Patel and his family have been facing threats to life since the past year in India and the United Kingdom. Justice Patel’s daughter was assaulted physically in London and last week she received a letter threatening her life.
These threats are related to the Dawoodi Bohra succession suit wherein Justice Patel upheld the succession of Mufaddal Burhanuddin Saifuddin as Dai Al-Mutlaq and dismissed the suit.
As per a report by HT, last week, on June 5, Justice Patel’s daughter in London, Aditi Patel, received an anonymous letter threatening her and her family with dire consequences if they did not comply with “what they were told in the last letter”.
The threats began last year, when Justice Patel’s wife, received a letter at their Mumbai home. It states-
“You succumbed to pressure and corruption to deliver a fraudulent and faulty judgement in the Syedna case….We are a powerful guild of the DB (Dawoodi Bohra) community members interested in justice being served for our community.
We have employed a very capable and dangerous syndicate who carried out the warning in London…”
This year, in April, Justice Patel’s daughter, who lives in, was attacked on the street by a masked man, who assaulted her and broke her nose.
It is also stated in the threat letters that Justice Patel should “retract” his judgment by recording a YouTube video stating he was coerced into issuing the order and should disseminate the same to the media at large and the Bombay Bar Association.
Bombay Bar Association Condemns Attack
Expressing solidarity with Justice Gautam Patel and his family, the resolution states-
“The Bombay Bar Association has noted with grave concern reports of threats, intimidation, harassment and acts of violence directed against Hon’ble Mr. Justice Gautam Patel and members of his family following the judgment delivered by him in proceedings relating to the Syedna succession dispute.
The Association records its strongest condemnation of any attempt to threaten, intimidate, harass, assault or otherwise target a Judge or members of a Judge’s family on account of the discharge of judicial functions. Reports that a member of Justice Patel’s family suffered physical injury in the course of one of these incidents render the matter particularly disturbing and warrant the most serious attention of the authorities.
Violence or threats of violence against judges or their families strike at the very heart of judicial independence and constitute a blatant assault on the rule of law. Such conduct is not merely an attack upon an individual Judge; it is an attack upon the institution of the judiciary and the constitutional promise that disputes will be resolved by courts free from fear, favour, affection or ill-will.”
Syedna Succession Case
After the death of the 52nd spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, in Mumbai in 2014, a suit was filed before the Bombay High Court challenging the appointment of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s son, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, as the next Dai al-Mutlaq or the supreme leader.
The challenge to this succession was filed by Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin’s half brother Khuzaima Qutbuddin, who died in 2016 while the suit was pending. In April 2024, Justice Patel dismissed the challenge and affirmed Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin as the rightful 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq.
Click here to read BBA’s Resolution
