Mumbai, Jun 15 Mumbai Police have registered a case against unidentified persons over threatening letters sent to former Bombay High Court judge Gautam Patel and his family in connection with his 2024 verdict on the Dawoodi Bohra community succession row, officials said on Monday.
Justice Patel told PTI that he lodged a complaint with the Gamdevi police in Mumbai on Sunday.
Based on the complaint, a case has been registered against unidentified persons on charges of criminal intimidation under sections 351(3) and 351(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, an official said.
A probe into the case is underway, the official added.
As per the complaint, Justice Patel and his family received multiple anonymous threat letters over the past 10 months, and the harassment escalated on June 5 when a highly threatening letter bearing a German postal mark was delivered to the London residence of his daughter.
The letter warned of a threat to their life and claimed that a "contract" had been issued against the family. It included a digital storage device, which has now been handed over to the London police.
The perpetrators had demanded that the retired judge post a video on YouTube, apologising for his judgment and retracting the verdict regarding the succession and title of Syedna, the spiritual leader of the million-strong Dawoodi Bohra community, claiming it was delivered under "duress and coercion".
Similar threat letters were sent to Patel's residence in Mumbai and were received by his wife.
Last week, the London police provided security cover to Justice Patel and his family there after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, who was on an official visit to the UK, took up the matter with Indian High Commissioner P Kumaran.
The high commissioner subsequently assured that he would take up the matter with the authorities so that adequate protection would be put in place for the former judge and his family.
On April 24, 2024, a single bench of Justice Patel upheld the position of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin as the 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq (leader) of the Dawoodi Bohra community, noting that he had a valid 'nass' (appointment).
Justice Patel had dismissed a suit filed in 2014 initially by Khuzaima Qutbuddin, soon after his brother and then-Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the 52nd Dai, passed away in January that year at the age of 102. Burhanuddin's second son, Mufaddal Saifuddin, then took over as the 53rd Syedna.
In 2016, after Qutbuddin passed away, his son Taher Fakhruddin took over the suit, claiming his father had conferred the powers on him.
In the judgment, Justice Patel noted that the plaintiffs had failed to submit any proof to show that Qutbuddin was conferred 'nass' by the 52nd Dai.
Justice Patel retired on April 25, 2024.
The plaintiffs later challenged the succession verdict before a division bench of the HC, where the matter is currently pending.
