Retired Bombay high court judge faces threats, family in UK attacked over 2024 Dawoodi Bohra verdict

The family of retired Bombay High Court judge G.S. Patel has been subjected to a relentless campaign of threats and violence for 10 months, spanning two continents, stemming from his landmark 2024 judgment on the Dawoodi Bohra community's succession dispute.

The most recent incident occurred on June 5, when Patel's daughter, Aditi Patel, residing in London, received an anonymous letter. The letter, bearing a German stamp and sent from a fake London address, contained explicit threats of violence against her and her family, stating, "The gang has been paid. The next step involves cremation of you and your family." It demanded that Justice Patel recant his April 23, 2024 judgment in a YouTube video.

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You were given ample warning. The gang has been paid. The next step involves cremation of you and your family. You can cancel the contract by doing what you were told in the last letter. Attached is a chip that shows what happens because you chose not to comply.

An SD card was attached to the letter, which Hertfordshire police have taken as evidence. The family, fearing potential system compromise, did not access the card's contents. This incident follows a pattern of intimidation that began in August of the previous year. At that time, Justice Patel's wife received a similar letter at their Mumbai home, and Aditi Patel in London reported a break-in, with the letter claiming responsibility.

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I have been retired since April 2024. A judgment of the Bombay High Court cannot be recanted by a YouTube video.

Further escalating the situation, on April 22 this year, a masked assailant physically assaulted Aditi Patel while she was on her way to pick up her child, leaving her bloodied with a broken nose. The threats also include detailed instructions for the judge to falsely claim coercion in issuing the verdict and to disseminate this claim widely.

Justice Patel has formally notified the Indian High Commissioner in London, the acting chief justice of the Bombay High Court, and the Chief Justice of India. He stated that a judgment from the Bombay High Court cannot be retracted through a YouTube video, emphasizing the unprecedented nature of the demand within Indian legal history.

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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…