Mumbai Judge, court clerk booked by ACB for ₹15 lakh bribe in exchange for favourable order

The Mumbai Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case against Additional Judge Ejazuddin Salauddin Kazi of the Mazagaon Civil & Sessions Court and court clerk Chandrakant Hanmant Vasudev for allegedly demanding and accepting a ₹15 lakh bribe to secure a favourable order in a commercial suit..According to a press note by ACB, the complainant’s wife had filed a petition before the Bombay High Court in 2015 alleging forcible occupation of her land. In April 2016, the High Court passed an interim order restraining the creation of third-party rights. In March 2024, the High Court transferred the matter to the civil court at Mazagaon as a commercial suit since the property value was below ₹10 crore..On September 9 this year, while the complainant’s employee was present in court, Vasudev allegedly contacted the complainant and asked him to meet. The complainant is stated to have met Vasudev on September 12 at a Starbucks café in Chembur where Vasudev allegedly demanded a total bribe of ₹25 lakh, ₹10 lakh for himself and ₹15 lakh “for the judge”, to secure favourable orders. The complainant refused..According to the press note, over the next several weeks, Vasudev allegedly continued to seek the bribe, after which the complainant approached the ACB on November 10. A verification exercise was conducted on the same day in the presence of a panch witness during which Vasudev allegedly reiterated his demand and agreed to accept a reduced amount of ₹15 lakh..On November 11, the ACB set up a trap, during which Vasudev was allegedly caught red-handed accepting ₹15 lakh from the complainant. The FIR further records that immediately after taking the money, Vasudev called Judge Ejazuddin Kazi on his phone and informed him about having received the bribe to which the judge allegedly expressed agreement..Both Vasudev and Judge Kazi have been booked under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which deal with the demand, acceptance and obtaining of illegal gratification in connection with a public duty..Source confirmed to Bar & Bench that Judge Kazi is not holding Court today. .Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.