CJI meets high commissioner in UK, seeks cover for ex-judge, kin

NEW DELHI: CJI Surya Kant has taken up the death threats being issued to retired Bombay HC judge Justice Gautam Patel with the Indian high commission in London, and has been assured that adequate security arrangements have been put in place for him and his family.

The CJI, who is on an official visit to the UK, met Indian high commissioner P Kumaran hours after Justice Patel went public about the threat letter delivered to his daughter’s residence in London.

“I had a discussion with the high commissioner, who assured that no harm would come to him or his family and that adequate security arrangements have been made by the London police,” CJI Kant told TOI.



Justice Patel on Monday had said the letter was in response to a judgment he passed in 2024. The case, which is pending appeal, sought to establish the succession and name of the Syedna, the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community.

Over the past 10 months, the Patel family has received several anonymous letters, including one in 2025 which, Justice Patel said, “accused me of having delivered my judgment fraudulently, under pressure”. The letter asked the judge to release a video on YouTube to state he had “delivered an incorrect verdict… which has caused irreparable harm to the faith and future of a respected community of a million plus members”.

On the attack on his daughter in London, Justice Patel had said, “This is a clever attempt to leverage the jurisdictional gap between Mumbai and London. There has been no attack on me in Mumbai, for that would result in immediate local action. Instead, the attack is directed against my daughter, a British citizen, on British soil. The connection to me and the judgment remains, but the actual attack — and therefore actual investigation — gets localised to UK.”

The high commissioner informed the CJI the threat appeared to have originated in India as the intimidation was related to a case in Maharashtra. CJI Kant said, “I have sent a message to the acting chief justice of Bombay HC (Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge) to take appropriate steps on the judicial and administrative side as the litigation pertained to local parties.” The CJI is expected to be back in India on June 12.

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