After Karanj police sought 14 days' remand of Morris Samuel Christian, the Gheekanta Metropolitan Court accepted an 11-day remand (till November 3, 11 am) in police custody on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old allegedly posed as 'judge' of a fake court made by him in Gandhinagar for six years.

Earlier, when presented at the Gheekanta criminal court on October 22, he insisted that he not be called “accused” as he was still a “judge” — even as police made their case against him for running an illegal courtroom. 

The (real) court heard that Christian, the self-proclaimed arbitrator who “presided” over cases worth crores, is not registered with any state bar council across India. Further, the law degree he does claim to hold is not valid under the Bar Council of India (BCI), according to Anil C Kella, former chairperson of the Gujarat Bar Council, and current chair of its finance committee. 

Christian, who has allegedly been practising law illegally for the past 25–30 years and been a fake judge for six years, also told the court that the Karanj police had beaten a confession out of him. They accidentally broke his glasses while they kicked and hit him, he said, requesting medical attention. The court transferred Christian to Sabarmati Jail, and directed the police to present his medical report on October 23.

Long history of deception

In July 2007, Christian had applied for a legal licence with the Bar Council. After verification of his documents in December 2007, it was confirmed that he didn’t qualify. He claimed to have obtained an LLB degree in 2002 from Akhil Bharatiya Shiksha Sansthan in New Delhi and a B.Com from the same university—an institution not recognised by the Bar Council of India. His claim of membership in the International Bar Council was dismissed by the Gujarat Bar Council, which clarified that such membership does not permit anyone to practise law in Indian courts.

Trail of fraudulent cases

The scale of Christian’s deception became apparent through multiple fraud complaints. In 2015, he set up a fake arbitration tribunal in Gandhinagar, charging victims like a resident of Ahmedabad’s Drive-In Road area ₹1 lakh for his services. He even forged a circular in the name of the Principal Judge of Gandhinagar, claiming his appointment as an arbitration counsellor for all civil cases under Section 89 of the Civil Procedure Code.

His illegal rulings affected more than 100 acres of land, with at least 11 properties involved and 10 cases still pending. He charged clients ₹30 lakh per arbitration, naming various government officials and the Amdavad Municipal Corporation as opposing parties in his fraudulent proceedings.

This isn’t Christian’s first encounter with law enforcement. In 2006, he was arrested by the Crime Branch in a fake visa scam, where authorities discovered nine fake passports and forged visas in his possession. The current investigation began when he attempted to transfer government land in Paldi through an unauthorised arbitration award.

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Fake court with self-proclaimed judge busted in Gandhinagar