A sitting Additional Judge and a court clerk in Mumbai have been booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly demanding and accepting a ₹15 lakh bribe in exchange for a favourable order in a commercial land dispute.
The case targets Additional Judge Ejazuddin Salauddin Kazi of the Mazagaon Civil & Sessions Court and court clerk Chandrakant Hanmant Vasudev. The ACB action follows a trap operation where Vasudev was allegedly caught red-handed accepting the bribe money, which he then reportedly confirmed to the judge via a phone call.
The chain of events leading to the bust began on November 10, when a complainant, whose wife is involved in a long-standing property case, approached the ACB. According to the bureau, the complainant alleged that Vasudev had been persistently demanding a bribe.
Acting on the complaint, the ACB conducted a verification exercise the same day. During this verified meeting, Vasudev allegedly reiterated his demand and agreed to accept a reduced amount of ₹15 lakh.
The following day, November 11, the ACB set up a formal trap. Vasudev was allegedly caught accepting the ₹15 lakh from the complainant. According to the FIR, immediately after taking the money, Vasudev called Judge Kazi. He allegedly informed the judge that he had “received the bribe,” to which the judge allegedly “expressed agreement.”
The complainant’s legal troubles date back to 2015, when his wife filed a petition in the Bombay High Court regarding the forcible occupation of her land. The High Court passed an interim order in April 2016, but the matter was transferred in March 2024 to the Mazagaon civil court as a commercial suit, landing it under Judge Kazi’s jurisdiction.
According to the ACB’s press note, the alleged bribery attempts began on September 9 this year, when Vasudev contacted the complainant. The two are said to have met on September 12 at a Starbucks in Chembur. At this meeting, Vasudev allegedly made the initial demand for a total of ₹25 lakh—₹10 lakh for himself and ₹15 lakh “for the judge”—to secure favourable orders. The complainant refused, but Vasudev allegedly continued to pursue the bribe over the following weeks, leading the complainant to finally report the matter to the ACB.
Both Judge Kazi and Vasudev have been booked under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which pertain to the demand and acceptance of illegal gratification by a public servant.
