Advocate alleges threats by former client, his son on court premises

Ahmedabad: Navrangpura police have registered a case of criminal intimidation and abuse after an advocate alleged that he was threatened inside the Old High Court premises by a former client and later by his son, over a dispute related to legal fees.According to the complaint filed on Saturday, the advocate, Nitin Gandhi, practising at the Ahmedabad rural court in the Old High COurt premises, had represented the accused, Ramsinh Desai, in a legal matter in 2022. He was also familiar with Desai's son, Sujal.The advocate stated that on Friday at noon, while Gandhi was seated at his table in the court complex, Desai approached him and questioned the status of a land-grabbing case linked to another person. When the advocate explained that drafting work was already completed by his junior and shared earlier, Desai allegedly demanded the return of Rs 3.5 lakh, claiming the case was not filed.The complainant alleged that when he pointed out that Desai collected the fees directly from the party without involving him, Desai became aggressive and threatened to recover the money forcibly. He allegedly warned that his son, Sujal, ‘specialised in recovering money' and threatened to kill the advocate, claiming he knew the locations of both his office and residence.The following day, Sujal allegedly made multiple WhatsApp calls to the advocate, abused him, and demanded repayment of the fees, repeating threats to his life. When the calls went unanswered, Desai allegedly sent abusive and threatening messages on WhatsApp.Navrangpura police registered an offence against the father-son duo for criminal intimidation and abuse.