Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday directed the Maharashtra government to provide round-the-clock security to retired Justice Gautam Patel following reports of serious threats he has faced since September last year. The threats are linked to his April 2024 judgment in the succession dispute for the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community.
A bench led by Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge, also comprising Justice Gautam Ankhad, instructed that security must be present at Justice Patel's Mumbai residence even when no one is home. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation seeking a court-monitored probe and protection for the former judge and his family.
The bench also sought the personal attention of the Mumbai police commissioner for the investigation and requested a status report by the next hearing in July.
Senior counsel Niteen Thakker, representing the Bombay Bar Association, informed the court that Justice Patel had lodged a complaint at Gamdevi police station and urged the police to conduct a thorough probe. The PIL, filed by the BBA along with the Advocates Association of Western India and the Bombay Incorporated Law Society, seeks a Special Investigation Team under HC supervision. Thakker and senior counsel Dinyar Madon, along with advocate Nilesh Modi, argued that the threats amount to an attack on judicial independence.
Thakker emphasized that the threats raise a broader concern for the judiciary's independence and noted that they are also directed at the bench that will hear the pending appeal in the Syedna succession matter.
Public prosecutor Shishir Hiray stated that the state has provided two police officers for Justice Patel's security and sought time to devise a long-term solution. Madon requested that a security detail be posted at the retired judge's home even when it is unoccupied, after the acting chief justice suggested that security should accompany Justice Patel or his family when they leave the house.
The court noted that following the attack on Justice Patel's daughter in the UK on April 22, 2026, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant personally intervened during his visit to London to ensure protection for the family. Acting Chief Justice Ghuge remarked, "We are fortunate to be led by such an able CJI."
The HC also demanded a status report from the central government on the security provided in the UK after the CJI's intervention.
The senior advocates highlighted that Justice Patel, before his retirement on April 25, 2024, served valuable years as a lawyer in Mumbai and later as a High Court judge. They stated, "If a judge of this court is threatened for his work, it could be a threat for the judiciary."
The court approved the request for the Mumbai police commissioner to personally monitor the investigation and adjourned the matter to July 2 for further hearing.
