‘Do something for Saheb’: Washroom talk led to bribery case against Maharashtra judge; ACB uncovers WhatsApp link

MUMBAI: A conversation between a court clerk and a man in a court washroom is alleged to be the genesis of a case that led to the naming of an additional sessions judge as an accused and the arrest of the court clerk in a Rs 15 lakh bribery case.

The clerk, Chandrakant Vasudev, allegedly told the man who had arrived in court to attend court proceedings in a matter involving the man's colleague: "Do something for Saheb (the judge), and the order will be in your favour." The state anti-corruption bureau (ACB) made the submissions in a remand plea seeking judicial custody of Vasudev, 40, a clerk-typist at the civil sessions court, Mazgaon, following which he was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting a Rs 15 lakh bribe from a Bandra-based litigant on Nov 11.

The judge, Ejazuddin S Kazi, accused of having played an "active role in the crime", is currently absconding. The remand plea said that when questioned for whom he accepted the bribe, Vasudev stated he did it for Ejazuddin S Kazi, additional sessions judge, civil sessions court, court number 14, Mazgaon, Mumbai.In the presence of witnesses, Vasudev placed a WhatsApp call to the judge, who allegedly consented to the accepted amount and instructed the clerk to bring the money to his residence.

The bribe amount accepted when the trap was laid contained Rs 4 lakh in genuine Indian currency (800 notes of Rs 500 denomination) and the remaining Rs 11 lakh in "toy" notes of Rs 500 denomination. The ACB also said during his interrogation, Vasudev said that he had been working as a clerk in the court of the judge for a year and shared a "cordial relationship" with him. Vasudev is alleged to have told the ACB that the judge helped him with his personal and family issues, leading to frequent WhatsApp conversations between them.

Vasudev was sent to judicial custody for 14 days. His bail plea will come up for hearing on Wednesday.The chain of events that led to the ACB trap began on Sept 9. According to the ACB's remand plea, on this date, the complainant's colleague attended a hearing in a long-standing property dispute. The complainant and his wife, who ran a business, had accused two persons of forcibly occupying a commercial property belonging to them in Kurla.

The dispute had been pending since 2015. On April 27, 2016, the Bombay high court granted a stay on the creation of third-party rights over the property.

In March 2024, the high court transferred this case to the civil sessions court, Mazgaon, as a "commercial suit".On Sept 12, Vasudev initially demanded Rs 25 lakh. He is alleged to have claimed that Rs 10 lakh was for himself and Rs 15 lakh for the judge.Vasudev was a resident of Uran and used to travel to court via boat from Bhaucha Dhakka, a ferry terminal.

Vasudev continued to pursue the demand, eventually bringing the final bribe amount down to Rs 15 lakh on Sept 13 and directed the complainant to bring it to Uran. The complainant refused.On Nov 8, Vasudev allegedly warned the complainant's colleague that the case would go against him if the money wasn't paid.The ACB team visited the judge's quarters at Churchgate on Nov 12, but found it locked, necessitating a house sealing panchnama.The ACB has seized evidence, including the accepted bribe money, recordings of the mobile conversations, video recordings, and Vasudev's mobile phone, which allegedly contained WhatsApp calls and messages between the two accused.The ACB said it was currently seeking permission from the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court to proceed with the necessary investigation and inquiry against the judge.The case was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. During investigations, the statements of the colleague and the lawyer representing the complainant in the property dispute were recorded.