For 10 months now, the family of retired Bombay High Court judge G S Patel has faced threats and actual violence across two continents in connection with his landmark 2024 ruling that settled the succession issue in the Dawoodi Bohra community, the last incident occurring on June 5.
The request is for Justice (Retd) Patel to reverse his judgment of April 23, 2024 in a YouTube video, which is unprecedented in the annals of Indian legal history, especially at the Constitutional Court level.
Last week, on June 5, Patel’s daughter in London, Aditi Patel, received an anonymous letter that read: “You have been given sufficient warning. The gang has been paid. The next step involves cremating you and your family. You can cancel the contract by doing what you were told in the last letter. Attached is a slide showing what happens because you choose not to comply.” The letter, purporting to be from Germany – and bearing a German stamp – was sent from a fake address in London by the company ‘Dye Sun Ent: Die Someone Enterprises’. Hertfordshire Police took the SD card attached to the letter as part of their investigation. The family did not attempt to open the card on their computer, fearing their systems would be damaged or hijacked. HT was unable to independently confirm its contents from police.
Justice Patel said he had written to the Indian High Commissioner in London and the Acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, and had also informed the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, about the matter. “I have been retired since April 2024. The Bombay High Court ruling cannot be overturned by a YouTube video,” he added.
The cycle of threats and violence began in August last year. Justice Patel’s wife, Malashree Patel, received a letter at their home in Mumbai. “We are a powerful group of DB (Dawoodi Bohra) community members who are interested in bringing justice to our community… We have employed a very capable and dangerous syndicate who carried out the warning in London…,” the statement read. It was unsigned and undated. Meanwhile, in London, Aditi Patel, Judge Patel’s daughter, received a similar letter, in which she additionally claimed responsibility for the break-in at her home in a London suburb in August 2025.
Then, on April 22 this year, while his daughter was on a school trip, a masked man approached her from behind and assaulted her, breaking her nose and leaving her bloodied on the road.
The letters to the Patel family also contain detailed instructions on how to reverse the retired judge’s ruling, including recording a YouTube video explaining that he was forced to issue the order and disseminating it to the media and the Bombay Bar Association. On September 9 last year, Gamdevi police in Mumbai registered an unidentified complaint based on the letter. In London, his daughter and son-in-law filed a complaint with the UK police. The West Hertfordshire Counter Terrorism Unit is reviewing the April 22 attack on Aditi Patel.
Mark Clawson, Detective Superintendent at Hertfordshire Police, confirmed that the threats and attack on Aditi Patel were being investigated, but refused to reveal any details, saying: “The case is a direct investigation.” Officials at the Indian High Commission in London told HT that they are aware of the case and have taken appropriate steps to help Justice Patel’s family.
This alleged campaign of threats and violence stems from Justice Patel’s 2024 ruling determining who is the true spiritual head of the million-strong Daudi Bohra community – a matter that has divided the community. Following the death of Syedna Muhammad Burhanuddin, the 52nd spiritual and temporal leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community in Mumbai in 2014, a suit was filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the appointment of Syedna Muhammad Burhanuddin’s son, Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, as the next Da’i al-Mutlaq or Supreme Leader.
The competitor was his uncle Khuzaymah Qutb al-Din, and after his death in 2016, the lawsuit was filed by his cousin Tahir Fakhr al-Din. On April 23, 2024, Justice Patel dismissed the claim of the Qutb Bohra faction led by Tahir Fakhruddin, citing the lack of reliable evidence of divine right, and affirmed that Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin is the 53rd Islamic preacher of Mutlaq. Fakhruddin’s faction has since appealed the ruling before a division bench of the Bombay High Court.
Aziz Bhaisaheb Qutbuddin, Tahir Fakhruddin’s brother and Syedna Tahir Fakhruddin’s communications director, said: “Syedna Tahir Fakhruddin Saheb unequivocally condemns any such threats and acts of violence… It is clear that these actions are aimed at harming us and trying to derail the appeal.”
Separately, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court is hearing another critical case relating to the religious practice of female genital mutilation called Khatna among the Dawoodi Bohras (Sunita Tiwari v. Union of India). Activists say female genital mutilation violates human rights and physical integrity. Among those involved in the ongoing case is the Dawoodi Bohra Women’s Association for Religious Freedom (DBWRF), which maintains that female genital mutilation is a harmless cultural practice.
In one of the letters sent to Justice Patel’s family, there is a reference to the issue of female genital mutilation. “Your cowardice has enabled the defendant (Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin faction) to continue to use violence, threats and coercive methods on members of the community to rob them as much as he can and force them to follow abhorrent practices like female genital mutilation etc. and most importantly, change the true Dawoodi Bohra faith to suit his purposes. We will not allow this to continue,” the letter said, referring to Justice Patel.
Justice Patel says appeal is the legitimate way to handle matters. “The appeals mechanism, which the Qutb faction is effectively using, is the only valid legal path to challenge the ruling. Therefore, the claims (publishing a video retracting his ruling) are not a real attempt to correct a legal outcome, but merely a coercive tool: to manufacture false evidence of judicial corruption that could influence the appeal, and to humiliate and break the judge who faithfully performed his duty.”
Justice Patel also said that the threats against him and his family were carefully calibrated, taking advantage of the jurisdictional divide between India and the UK.
He said that although he diligently followed the official chain of command, the threat to his family remained.
“I have contacted the authorities, and no one has turned me down. I also understand that the jurisdiction of the authorities is limited to India. But this would be a systemic failure. A judge is expected to act without fear or favour, but who would want to be a judge if he and his family members face such threats?” He said.
