3 min readMumbaiJun 23, 2026 03:21 PM IST
First published on: Jun 23, 2026 at 03:16 PM IST
Terming it a “grave and serious issue,” the Bombay High Court last week directed its Registry to file a complaint with the police and the cyber cell to investigate allegations that a lawyer forged court orders related to a family estate dispute.
“An extremely grave and serious issue has been brought to the notice of this court in the present interim application,” Justice Arif S Doctor observed in the June 18 order.
The court was hearing an interim application regarding the administration of a dead man’s estate. The applicant, the man’s son, claims to be the “true beneficiary” under his father’s last will and testament. In contrast, the original lawsuit was filed by the man’s wife, who claims sole ownership of the entire estate under a prior will.
The applicant approached the High Court seeking a recall of orders passed in January and February 2025. He stated that the January 2025 order, passed in his absence, placed an injunction on the estate and barred him from dealing with it.
Advocates Ryan D’Souza and Shivam Laturiya for the applicant told the bench that their client had appointed advocate Purvi Shah as his lawyer and that she had forged and/or fabricated the orders of the court and sent them to the applicant instead of the actual orders passed by the court.
The applicant argued that the real, adverse orders were issued only because Shah misrepresented that he was properly represented, even though he was not present.
Lawyer denies allegation
Appearing in person, Shah denied the allegations of forgery and fabrication, instead claiming that the applicant had fabricated the documents himself. Rejecting her claim, advocate D’Souza stated that his client was willing to face a formal inquiry to clear his name.
Justice Doctor decided that a thorough criminal investigation was required before the underlying estate dispute could proceed.
“In my view, before proceeding further in the matter, the issue of how and at whose instance the orders (allegedly forged) have come into existence is crucial and must be investigated into,” the court noted.
The judge directed the High Court’s Registrar General to lodge a complaint with the competent police authorities and the Cyber Cell to uncover how the fraudulent orders were generated. Seeking an investigation report within four weeks, the judge clarified that the court has not yet ruled on the merits of either party’s allegations and will resume hearing the application once the inquiry concludes.
The Bombay High Court has ordered a police and cyber cell investigation into allegations that forged court orders were circulated in a family estate dispute (Image generated using AI). 
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