The Crossbill News Desk
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (June 9) voiced concern over threats faced by members of the judiciary, with judges observing that the independence of judicial decision-making would be compromised if verdicts were met with intimidation and violence.
During a hearing on a bail plea involving a repeat offender accused of attacking the residence of a district judge in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district, a bench of justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Sanjeev Sachdeva remarked, “We read in the newspapers that judges who are passing judgments are facing threats. No judge can pass any judgment this way,” Hindustan Times reported.
The bench referred to reports concerning former Bombay high court judge justice (retd) Gautam Patel and his family, who have allegedly been subjected to sustained threats linked to a judgment delivered shortly before his retirement in April 2024.
The matter has now drawn the attention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who said he had taken up the issue with India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
“I had a discussion with the high commissioner, who assured that no harm would come to him or his family and that adequate security arrangements have been made by the London police,” the CJI told The Times of India.
According to reports, justice Patel and his family have been receiving threats for more than ten months. The intimidation is said to be connected to a ruling on succession within the Dawoodi Bohra community.
In the judgment, delivered in 2024, justice Patel recognised Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin as the rightful claimant to the position of Dai-al-Mutlaq, or spiritual head of the community, following the death of his father, Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, in 2014. The claim had been contested by Syedna Taher Fakhruddin, son of Syedna’s half-brother Khuzaima Qutubudin.
The threats reportedly included demands that the retired judge publicly recant his verdict through a YouTube video. When he refused to do so, the harassment allegedly escalated.
In April, his daughter was attacked by a masked assailant in London and suffered a fractured nose. Another threatening letter was reportedly received on June 5.
The intimidation campaign is said to have begun in September, when similar letters were sent to justice Patel’s wife in Mumbai and his daughter in the United Kingdom. British authorities are investigating the incident involving his daughter and are treating the assault as a terrorist-related matter.
The developments have triggered wider concerns within judicial circles over the safety of judges and the implications of attempts to influence court decisions through threats and violence.
During a hearing on a bail plea involving a repeat offender accused of attacking the residence of a district judge in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district, a bench of justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Sanjeev Sachdeva remarked, “We read in the newspapers that judges who are passing judgments are facing threats. No judge can pass any judgment this way,” Hindustan Times reported.
The bench referred to reports concerning former Bombay high court judge justice (retd) Gautam Patel and his family, who have allegedly been subjected to sustained threats linked to a judgment delivered shortly before his retirement in April 2024.
The matter has now drawn the attention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who said he had taken up the issue with India’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
“I had a discussion with the high commissioner, who assured that no harm would come to him or his family and that adequate security arrangements have been made by the London police,” the CJI told The Times of India.
According to reports, justice Patel and his family have been receiving threats for more than ten months. The intimidation is said to be connected to a ruling on succession within the Dawoodi Bohra community.
In the judgment, delivered in 2024, justice Patel recognised Syedna Muffadal Saifuddin as the rightful claimant to the position of Dai-al-Mutlaq, or spiritual head of the community, following the death of his father, Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin, in 2014. The claim had been contested by Syedna Taher Fakhruddin, son of Syedna’s half-brother Khuzaima Qutubudin.
The threats reportedly included demands that the retired judge publicly recant his verdict through a YouTube video. When he refused to do so, the harassment allegedly escalated.
In April, his daughter was attacked by a masked assailant in London and suffered a fractured nose. Another threatening letter was reportedly received on June 5.
The intimidation campaign is said to have begun in September, when similar letters were sent to justice Patel’s wife in Mumbai and his daughter in the United Kingdom. British authorities are investigating the incident involving his daughter and are treating the assault as a terrorist-related matter.
The developments have triggered wider concerns within judicial circles over the safety of judges and the implications of attempts to influence court decisions through threats and violence.
Comments (0)
Leave a Comment