On Monday, 21st October, Maurice Samuel Christian, who posed as a fake arbitrator judge and established a fraudulent court in Ahmedabad to loot government land worth crores, was exposed. The Karanj Police have arrested the accused and have taken him into custody as the investigations continue. OpIndia reached out to the Karanj police station, where officers confirmed that Maurice Christian is currently detained and under investigation.
As per the reports, Christian established a fake court, falsely claiming to be an arbitrator judge. He even hired fake lawyers and staff to support his claim. It is said that he fraudulently seized 100 acres of government land using this false identity. The City Civil Court Registrar of Ahmedabad, Hardik Sagar Desai, filed a complaint against Christian at the Karanj Police Station, leading to an FIR being registered under multiple sections of the IPC, including 170, 419, 420, 465, 467, 471, and 120B.
A copy of the FIR has been obtained by OpIndia. According to the complaint, Christian committed several offenses by impersonating a judge and illegally acquiring government land worth crores.
According to the police complaint, Maurice Samuel Christian falsely presented himself as an arbitrator when Babuji Chhanaji Thakor, a labourer from Paldi, Ahmedabad, had been embroiled in a land dispute with the government for years. During this time, Thakor came into contact with Maurice. Seizing the opportunity, Maurice involved himself in the case, unlawfully retaining legal counsel for Babuji while posing as an arbitrator. He declared himself a mediator in the dispute between Babuji and the government, despite lacking any arbitration agreement or the authority under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, of 1996, to resolve such matters.
The police revealed that Christian had issued a fraudulent judgment in the dispute between Babuji and the Ahmedabad Collector. He had even submitted claims and statements to the court on March 30, 2019. Christian ruled in Babuji’s favor, falsely stating that government land worth Rs 200 crores in Paldi had been unlawfully seized from Babuji, all while posing as an unauthorized arbitration tribunal.
When this fraudulent order was brought before the Ahmedabad City Civil Court, Christian’s fraud was exposed. Judge JL Chowtia of the Ahmedabad City Civil Court subsequently instructed the court registrar to file a complaint, leading to Christian’s exposure.
Following the court’s order, City Civil Court Registrar Hardik Desai complained to Karanj Police Station, leading to the immediate arrest of Maurice Samuel Christian, who had been posing as a ‘judge.’ The police registered a case based on the complaint and confirmed to OpIndia that the investigation is ongoing, with the accused currently in lockup. Authorities also stated that they are actively pursuing further inquiries into the matter. Christian’s fraudulent activities continued from March 2, 2019, until his arrest on October 21, 2024.
It is worth noting that Maurice Samuel Christian had established a court-like environment, complete with fake staff, including lawyers, bailiffs, and clerks, to deceive people. According to the police, Christian’s scheme involved issuing fraudulent rulings in favor of petitioners in his fake court and then submitting these false claims to legitimate courts to unlawfully benefit his clients.
In this case, the public prosecutor argued before the City Civil Court that there is no evidence showing that Babuji had legally appointed Maurice Samuel Christian as an arbitrator, nor did the court authorize him in that role. The prosecutor pointed out that Christian had even hired a lawyer on Babuji’s behalf in the civil court to enforce his fraudulent order.
Furthermore, the prosecutor argued that Christian conspired to issue a one-sided verdict, despite lacking any government authorization to serve as an arbitrator, and without any signed contract.
The lawyer questioned how Christian had the authority to issue notices to government authorities without an arbitration agreement in place. He also raised concerns about how Christian could deliver a judgment when the authorities had not responded to his notice. The lawyer emphasized that there was no need to approach the High Court in this case, as arbitration had not been lawfully initiated.
It was also revealed that Christian had issued similar orders in 10 other cases, which are likely to be investigated. The court fined the petitioner, Babuji, ₹50,000 and instructed the Registrar of the Ahmedabad Civil Court to file a complaint against Christian. Following this order, a criminal case was registered, and Christian was arrested.
