In a significant development, the Bombay High Court has directed the Mumbai Police to conduct an enquiry into the conduct of advocate Partho Sarkar, following allegations that he contacted the wife of a sitting judge regarding a property deal and insisted on a cash payment. The directive was issued by Justice Madhav Jamdar, who revealed the incident during court proceedings, expressing concerns over an apparent attempt to discredit the judiciary.
Justice Jamdar explained that the incident followed an order he had passed on April 9 against advocate Vijay Kurle for misconduct. He stated in open court, I had passed an order against Mr. Kurle and after that, Mr. Partho Sarkar called my wife regarding a property. My wife believed he was a genuine buyer. He insisted on a cash transaction. I then took the call and informed him that I am a sitting judge and would not accept any cash payments, insisting on payment only through cheque. Upon hearing this, Mr. Sarkar laughed for 10 to 20 seconds.
The judge described this as a deliberate act aimed at maligning the judiciary. “This is nothing but an attempt to frame the court. They wanted a cash transaction to occur so that it could be later used against the court,” he remarked. Consequently, he instructed Malabar Hill Police Station to carry out an investigation into the roles of advocates Partho Sarkar, Mathews Nedumpara, and Vijay Kurle.
Justice Jamdar also referred to a pattern of behaviour linked to earlier cases involving the same advocates. He noted that he had passed certain orders against advocate Nedumpara in 2023 while sitting with Justice Amjad Sayed, during which time Sarkar had also contacted his wife for the first time in connection with a property deal. Sarkar, it was observed, has represented Nedumpara in several contempt proceedings across courts, and Kurle has previously lodged complaints against sitting Supreme Court judges when they initiated contempt actions against Nedumpara.
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In a separate order dated April 17, Justice Jamdar had already taken note of Nedumpara’s continued defiance in court. “He accused the court of insulting him after being asked to take his seat and claimed he is not a slave of the court,” the judge stated in the record. The counsel exited the courtroom without permission even as the judge was delivering the order.
Furthermore, despite a specific undertaking given by Nedumpara to the Supreme Court promising not to intimidate the judiciary, he allegedly continued with similar conduct in the High Court. When reminded of his undertaking, he argued that it applied only to the Supreme Court and not to any High Court.
On the day of the court’s recent hearing, advocate Nedumpara attempted to log in virtually, but the court denied entry. Advocate Maria Nedumpara protested the decision, raising her voice, but the court did not permit the login.
After the court passed its order for a police investigation, advocate Subhash Jha, appearing for one of the parties, demanded that the house help—allegedly the person who facilitated Sarkar’s contact with the judge’s wife—also be probed. Justice Jamdar, however, clarified that there was no such connection and mentioned that while the first call from Sarkar occurred in October 2023 regarding a leave and licence arrangement, no deal was finalized. A sudden follow-up call for a cash-based property transaction was received by his wife on April 22.
The matter has been scheduled for the next hearing on June 10.
