In a shocking turn of events, retired Bombay High Court judge Gautam Shirish Patel, along with his family, has been subjected to a relentless string of threats and acts of violence linked to his ruling in the contentious Dawoodi Bohra succession case. This troubling situation has unfolded both in India and the United Kingdom since August 2023, casting a dark cloud over the judiciary’s independence and safety of its members.

The latest episode occurred recently when Patel’s daughter, Aditi Patel, received a chilling anonymous letter, making explicit threats against the entire family. The message ominously warned of their impending cremation if they failed to adhere to directives previously laid out in earlier threats. The letter claimed that a criminal gang had been contracted to carry out the attack, adding a horrific twist by suggesting that the assault could be averted if the family complied with instructions from the prior correspondence.

Notably, this letter was dispatched from a fabricated address in London and featured a German postage stamp, indicating a calculated attempt to obscure the sender’s identity. The Patel family, wary of potential digital threats, opted not to open a memory card included with the letter, fearing it might contain malware designed to compromise their electronic devices. The Hertfordshire Police have since taken possession of the memory card for analysis.

The roots of this ongoing intimidation can be traced back to Judge Patel’s landmark ruling on April 22, 2024, regarding the succession within the Dawoodi Bohra community—a decision that has proven to be deeply polarizing. Since August 2023, both he and his relatives residing in Mumbai and London have been inundated with threats demanding that he publicly recant his judicial findings, particularly through a YouTube video.

This escalating campaign of fear and violence against a former judge raises serious concerns about the safety of judicial figures in India and the broader implications it has on the rule of law. The situation highlights the inherent risks that judicial officers face, especially when their decisions affect powerful community interests. As the Patel family navigates these harrowing threats, the case underscores the urgent need for protective measures for judges and their families, to safeguard the independence of the judiciary against intimidation and coercion.