Gujarat man sets up fake court, runs it for 5 years as a 'judge'. Here's how he got caught

In his 'courtroom,' Morris Samuel Christian posed his associates as staff and advocates while he presided over as a judge. (Image credit: @NarundarM/X)

A 37-year-old man in Gujarat has been arrested for running a fake court, posing as a judge, and passing orders for five years in land dispute cases. Morris Samuel Christian had set up the "court" in Gandhinagar area in 2019 and preyed on unsuspecting people entangled in land disputes. He promised them swift resolutions for hefty fees, the police said. Christian also had his associates pose as court personnel to fool his clients.

According to a note issued by the police, the accused "claimed himself as an arbitrator, gave false claim statements for his clients, and created the entire arbitration proceeding" in the fake court he had set up in Gandhinagar. Several photos of his "courtroom" showed Christian sitting like a judge along with all the required props giving the impression of a real courtroom.

"He created an environment of a court by keeping staff, advocates and himself presided over as a judge," Deccan Herald reported quoting from the FIR. It stated that Christian "himself filed cases, passed orders, and tried to make applicants owners of land worth crores."

The man setup a dummy court in Gujarat and ran it for five years, he also passed several orders. pic.twitter.com/B6JvBLGRtc
Narundar (@NarundarM) October 22, 2024

The matter came to light at the city civil court after Christian's client Babjuji Thakor filed a case against the Ahmedabad collector, claiming rights over a piece of government land in Paldi area. To prove his ownership, Thakor had produced the claim certificate awarded to him fraudulently by Christian under Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996.

On inspecting the document, the court registrar discovered that Christian was not a judge and was running a fake court. He then approached the police. The Karanj police lodged an FIR under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 170 (pretending to hold any office as a public servant) and 419 (cheating by personation).

Christian was arrested recently and further investigation is underway, the police said. They added that he already has a case of cheating filed against him in 2015.