Gujarat: Arrested 'fake' judge passed over 100 rulings in five years

In most of these cases, which involved land deals, this fake judge ruled in favour of his clients from whom he had taken money.

Fake rulings in 100s of cases

Interestingly, Christian was arrested earlier in 2007 for the same offence, and he has been under the radar of the local courts. The Gujarat high court, in fact, had challenged and stayed several of his decrees in the past. He had faced contempt proceedings as well.

What’s more, the district collector had sealed his office that was made to look like a court of law some years ago. But, Christian reopened his fake court after some time had elapsed and continued to wield the judge’s gavel.

According to DT Chaudhary, the investigating officer in the case, police inspector of Karanj police station in Ahmedabad, “Christian used to target people whose land disputes were pending before the civil court for a long time. He used to take a specific amount from his clients as fees for solving their cases quickly in his emergency court.”

Through his fake court, Christian has handled more than hundreds of cases in the past five years, Chaudhary told The Federal.

Also read: Gujarat cops slap fresh case against Mahesh Langa, this time for theft

Fake court

Further, Chaudhary revealed that last month Christian even set up a fake State Bank of India branch, approximately 250 km from Chhattisgarh's capital city Raipur, in a quiet village named Chhapora in the Sakti district.

However, largely, he posed as a judge and ran a thriving fake tribunal, deceiving many individuals involved in land disputes since 2019. He created a mock courtroom setup by hiring associates posing as court personnel and had wielded a gavel to look like a judge, said the FIR lodged against him at Karani police station.

“He cheated people by passing favourable orders claiming he has been appointed as an arbitrator by a competent court to adjudicate legal disputes. Christian targeted individuals promising swift resolutions to their land disputes in exchange for hefty fees,” added the FIR.

Fraud exposed

In one case, Christian passed an order in favour of his client, directing the district collector of Ahmedabad to add his client’s name to the revenue records of a government land in Paldi area of the city, read the FIR. That is when the long arm of the law caught up with him.

The civil court in Ahmedabad found that Morris had passed the order in favour of claimants to usurp the land worth over ₹100 crore. The court termed the order of the fake tribunal "void ab initio" and "not enforceable", as Morris had appointed himself an arbitrator without authority and passed the fraudulent order.

The fraud came to light after one Babjuji Thakor filed a civil application in the court claiming right over the parcel of government land in Paldi area of Ahmedabad.

“Christian had represented himself as an arbitrator in the case of petitioner Babuji Chhanaji Thakor, in a land matter before a Magistrate court in Bhadra, Ahmedabad despite not having an Arbitration Contract nor possessing any powers to adjudicate over matters of conflict resolution under The Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996,” stated Chaudhary.

Christian claimed that he was a member of the Indian Council of Arbitration and therefore authorised to pass such orders. He even told the court how he functioned. However, presiding Judge CL Chovatiya was not convinced and ordered its registrar to have the FIR lodged against Morris and his aides.

The arrest

Christian was arrested based on a written complaint filed by Hardik Desai, a civil judge and currently the registrar of the Civil Court, Ahmedabad.

He has been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) under charges of pretending to hold any office as a public servant, cheating by personation, impersonation of public servant, forgery etc.

“Police has sought 14-day remand before the Metropolitan Court in Ahmedabad today,” Chaudhary said.

Meanwhile, Anil Kelia, advocate and chairman of Bar Council, Gujarat, revealed that Morris had claimed he had a degree from some international law university and a licence from International Bar Council. “But truth is that no such council exists. He practiced in different courts by forging certificates and degrees,” pointed out Kelia.

But, what is baffling is that various courts had challenged Christian’s orders and awards as an arbitrator for the last five years. Yet, he continued to wield the power of a judge in his own court of law.