A man named Maurice Samuel Christian was arrested for running a fake court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, where he posed as a judge and issued bogus rulings, seizing approximately 100 acres of government land worth billions of rupees. The fraudulent court had been operational for more than five years, during which Maurice managed to deceive several individuals involved in land disputes by presenting himself as an official arbitrator.
According to the Ahmedabad Police, Maurice Samuel Christian set up a well-furnished office in Gandhinagar that closely resembled a real courtroom. He would conduct fake legal proceedings, complete with accomplices posing as lawyers and court staff, to maintain the illusion of legitimacy. His targets were individuals with pending land dispute cases in the city’s civil courts. Maurice would charge his clients hefty fees, claiming to be an official arbitrator appointed by the government, and lured them into believing he could resolve their legal issues swiftly.
Once his clients arrived at his makeshift courtroom, Maurice would conduct hearings, listen to arguments, and pass rulings, all while impersonating a judicial officer. His accomplices, posing as court personnel, helped bolster the illusion that the proceedings were legitimate. In over 11 cases, Maurice issued orders in his own favour, seizing vast tracts of valuable government land.
One such case dates back to 2019, when Maurice issued a ruling in favour of his client, falsely claiming ownership of a piece of government land in Paldi, under the jurisdiction of the district collector. The client had attempted to register his name in official government documents, with Maurice posing as an arbitrator appointed by the government. Maurice even issued an order directing the district collector to transfer ownership of the land.
This fraudulent ruling was presented in the civil court by another lawyer as a legitimate legal document. However, the registrar of the court, Hardik Desai, grew suspicious and conducted a thorough investigation. It was soon discovered that Maurice was neither an official arbitrator nor authorised to pass any legal orders. Registrar Desai immediately lodged a complaint with Karanj Police Station, leading to Maurice’s arrest.
“The accused had set up a fake arbitration court, deceiving numerous people with false promises of resolving their legal disputes,” a senior police official said. “He would go to great lengths to make the proceedings seem authentic, from designing a courtroom to employing accomplices who acted as lawyers and court staff. The extent of his deception is staggering.”
The police investigation revealed that Maurice had been running the fake tribunal since 2019, targeting people involved in land disputes, particularly cases where valuable government land was at stake. The fraud came to light when Maurice attempted to use his fake ruling in a civil court, prompting the court registrar to investigate.
Following his arrest, Maurice’s elaborate scheme was compared to a previous high-profile case in Gujarat involving Kiran Patel, who was arrested in 2023 for impersonating a senior officer from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Patel had fraudulently taken over a government bungalow, claiming it was under renovation, and lived under the guise of a senior PMO official with Z+ security and a bulletproof vehicle. “Cases like these highlight the growing audacity of fraudsters in Gujarat,” remarked a local activist.
The FIR filed at Karanj Police Station detailed the extent of Maurice’s fraud. “Christian operated a fake tribunal without any legal authority, passing orders to seize government land. He engaged in a criminal conspiracy to falsely claim ownership of public property,” the FIR states. Maurice had continuously maintained the charade between March 2019 and October 2024, deceiving both the public and the authorities.
Police are now investigating whether Maurice’s accomplices, who posed as lawyers and court staff, were aware of the scam and how many others might have been defrauded by the fake court. Investigators are also looking into the possible involvement of more people in this conspiracy.
