The Brave Pedestrian

Mumbai, 1 January 2018: Happy New Year and welcome to 2018. Are Bombay High Court judges only incompetent, or are they also corrupt? Take a look at the Bhagtani hearings and understand why such a contemptuous question arises about Bombay High Court judges in general. In the course of the proceedings in Anticipatory Bail Application (ABA) no 1725 and 1533 of 2017, Diipesh, Mukesh and Lakshman Bhagtani have successfully exposing the infirmities of the court since mid-August 2017. Hrishikesh Mundargi, Mahesh Jethmalani, the Public Prosecutor and other "officers of the court" are abetting in this criminal activity. Although all of them passed orders that appeared strict, the overall effect of 12 hearings conducted by Justice Revati Mohite Dere, Justice A M Badar, Justice Anuja Prabhudessai and Justice AS Gadkari is to give Bhagtanis interim protection from arrest for nearly four months, without any genuine compliances. TIME is what the Bhagtanis desperately need for d...

Mumbai, 6th November, 2017: About 60 victims of Bhagtani builder's Riyo project gathered yesterday (Sunday) at Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Borivali East, to discuss and debate about the way forward in their legal battle for criminal prosecution of Bhagtani and recovery of their money. Many topics were discussed, including approaching various agencies and seeking advice from legal experts. Also, an open letter addressed to Chief Justice Manjula Chellur was signed by 55 aggrieved persons who are intervenors in Anticipatory Bail Application (ABA) hearings being heard by Justice A M Badar. The letter raises serious concerns about Justice Badar's leniency and dubious orders. This gathering of cheated flat-buyers signed an open letter to Chief Justice Manjula Chellur, complaining about Justice A M Badar's dubious orders favouring Bhagtani builders. The signed letter will be dispatched by speedpost later today. Several others, including Chief Justice of India and...

To Justice Manjula Chellur, Chief Justice of Bombay High Court, Through The Registrar Bombay High Court, Fort, Mumbai 5th November, 2017 Sub: Justice Badar's Zigzag Orders in ABA no. 1533 of 2017 Dear Madam, Hundreds of victims of Bhagtani builders are on an anxiety-inducing roller-coaster ride, thanks to the strange twists and turns in proceedings of ABA no. 1533 in Bombay High Court. Seven orders h ave so far been passed -- four by Justice Revati Mohite Dere and three by Justice Badar. The latter's orders are increasingly lenient and devoid of judicial logic. Repeatedly, orders are passed based on unverified claims made by the applicants (Dipesh, Mukesh and Lakshman Bhagtani). A blind eye is turned to total non-compliance of anticipatory bail conditions mentioned in applicant Dipesh Bhagtani's affidavit . The most recent order is a cringe-worthy clean chit to the Bhagtanis for expressing the intention to approach National Corporate Law Tribunal (NCLT)....

Mumbai, 12th February, 2017: Justice CS Karnan's reply to Supreme Court's contempt notice is heroically contemptuous. Based on this reply, one expects that the contempt hearing of India's judge-gone-berserk will probably have sensational disclosures about allegedly corrupt judges, particularly Chief Justice of Madras High Court SK Kaul. One is led to wonder whether Justice Karnan is on trial here, or India's judiciary is on trial! Read Justice Karnan's defiant reply to the contempt notice .   In Justice Karnan's reply to the suo motu contempt notice served on him by a seven-judge bench, he alleges that the notice issued is (a) bad in law (b) illogical (c) unethical (d) against natural justice (e) mala fide (f) biased along caste lines, and most importantly, (g) intended to shield Justice SK Kaul who is about to be elevated to the Supreme Court. Karnan's reply -- like Arundhat Roy's defiant reply in 2001 -- is almost certain to be h...

10 th September, 2016, Cuttack: One is puzzled by t he accounting treatment for Justice Indrajit Mahanty's Rs 2.5 crore working-capital loan for his hotel, The Triple C . Lakhs of rupees are withdrawn and repaid every month in two SBI loan accounts in the name of "Justice Indrajit Mahanty" and strangely, not in the name of Latest Generation Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. , the company that has leased the hotel from him. As a High Court judge, Justice I. Mahanty gets a monthly salary of Rs. 1.35 lakhs, and therefore is liable to pay Income Tax. But repayment of principal plus interest could reduce or eliminate his taxable income. Suppose his tax returns are dodgy, can Income Tax authorities summon his lordship personally for questioning u/s 131 of Income Tax Act, and compel production of his lordship's books of account? We asked Mr Binoy Gupta , a retired Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (CCA), who holds a Ph.D. in Law. His reply was: "There are no exemption...