Bombay Bar Association condemns threats, violence against ex-judge’s family

THe Bombay exclude connection (BBA) on mon passed a resolve expressing solidarity with justness Gautam Patel, retired judge of the Bombay high court, whose family members faced threats and a violent attack in the UK over a 2024 landmark judgment he passed settling the succession issue in the Dawoodi Bohra community.The eight-point resolution signed by BBA President Nitin Thakker, came on the day when HT reported the series of threats and attacks that Justice Patel’s daughter and wife had received since August 2025, with the most recent incident on June 5.The BBA called upon the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to take the necessary steps to take up the matter with the authorities in England to ensure the safety of Justice Patel’s family.“Violence or threats of violence against judges or their families strike at the very heart of judicial independence and constitute a blatant assault on the rule of law. Such conduct is not merely an attack upon an individual Judge; it is an attack upon the institution of the judiciary and the constitutional promise that disputes will be resolved by courts free from fear, favour, affection or ill-will,” the BBA’s resolution said.Also Read:Retd Bombay HC judge faces threats, family in UK attacked over 2024 Bohra verdictExpressing its “strongest condemnation” of the attack on the judge and his family, the association, of which Justice Patel was a member before his elevation to the bench in 2013, said, “Reports that a member of Justice Patel’s family suffered physical injury in the course of one of these incidents render the matter particularly disturbing and warrant the most serious attention of the authorities.”Justice Patel’s daughter Aditi Patel, 38, while on a school run in London, was attacked by a masked man on April 22. He accosted her from behind and assaulted her, breaking her nose and leaving her bloodied on the road. On September 9 last year, the Gamdevi police in Mumbai registered a non-cognisable complaint based on the threat letter received by his wife Malashri Patel.The BBA said that judicial decisions may be questioned, criticised and challenged only through lawful and constitutional means, including appellate remedies available under law. “Resort to threats, intimidation, coercion or violence against judges or their families has no place in a civilised society and cannot be tolerated,” the resolution said.It urged the concerned authorities to conduct a prompt, thorough and effective investigation into these incidents and to ensure that persons responsible are identified, apprehended and prosecuted in accordance with law.