Retired Bombay HC Judge GS Patel, Family Face Threats And Attack Over Dawoodi Bohra Succession Verdict

Retired Bombay High Court judge GS Patel and his family have allegedly been subjected to threats and acts of violence across India and the United Kingdom for nearly ten months in connection with his 2024 judgment deciding the long-running Dawoodi Bohra succession dispute, according to a report published by the Hindustan Times.

The report states that the latest incident occurred on June 5, when Patel's daughter, Aditi Patel, who resides in the UK, received an anonymous letter threatening the "cremation" of her family unless Justice Patel publicly recanted his April 23, 2024 judgment through a YouTube video. The letter reportedly contained an SD card and claimed that a "gang" had been hired to carry out the threats.

According to the report, the campaign began in August 2025, when similar letters were sent to Patel's wife in Mumbai and to his daughter in London. The communications allegedly demanded that the retired judge retract his verdict by recording a video claiming that he had been coerced into delivering the judgment.

The Hindustan Times further reported that Aditi Patel was physically assaulted on April 22 this year by a masked man in London, suffering a broken nose. UK authorities are investigating both the assault and the threats. The West Hertfordshire counter-terrorism unit is reportedly reviewing the matter, while the Hertfordshire Constabulary confirmed that the case remains under active investigation.

Justice Patel told the newspaper that he had informed the acting Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, the Indian High Commissioner in London, and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant about the threats. He stressed that a High Court judgment could not be "recanted" through a YouTube video and said the proper legal remedy against a judgment was an appeal.

The threats are linked to Justice Patel's April 2024 ruling in the Dawoodi Bohra succession dispute. In that judgment, he dismissed the suit filed by the faction led by Taher Fakhruddin and upheld Mufaddal Saifuddin as the rightful 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq, the spiritual head of the Dawoodi Bohra community. The judgment is currently under challenge before a Division Bench of the Bombay High Court.

The report notes that representatives of Taher Fakhruddin have condemned the threats and violence, asserting that such acts were intended to malign their side and derail the pending appeal.

Expressing concern over the impact of such intimidation on judicial independence, Justice Patel reportedly stated that judges are expected to function without fear or favour, but questioned who would be willing to serve as a judge if they and their families faced such threats for performing their duties.