We are pleased to share that Argus Partners has successfully represented His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin before the Bombay High Court in a case concerning the Dawoodi Bohra Community.

The matter continued over a period of 10 (ten) years, with final arguments spanning over 46 (forty-six) days. The Bombay High Court through this landmark judgement has recognised that His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin has been validly appointed as the 53rd Dai-al-Mutlaq of the Dawoodi Bohra Community. The Court thus rejected the claims made by Khuzema Qutbuddin and Taher Fakhruddin of being the 53rd and 54th Dai, respectively, of the Dawoodi Bohra community.

The pronouncement of this landmark judgment has significant implications for the Dawoodi Bohra community, both in India and worldwide, considering the widespread presence of the community globally.

This matter had its fair share of unique challenges, including reliance on ancient books and manuscripts, some of which were more than 200 years old and which were written in Arabic and Lisan-al-Dawat, a dialect which is peculiar only to the Dawoodi Bohra community. While the Plaintiff led the evidence of 4 witnesses, the Defendant led the evidence of 13 witnesses, which included a world-renowned handwriting expert from London, medical doctors from London, a philologist from Beirut as well experts in the Dawoodi Bohra history. Additionally, some foreign witnesses were required to be cross examined through video conference due to covid.

Senior Counsels Iqbal Chagla, Janak Dwarkadas, Fredun De Vitre, Pankaj Savant, Firdosh Pooniwala (who is now a Judge of the Bombay High Court) and Counsels Azmin Irani, Ammar Abeezar Faizullabhoy, Shahen Pradhan, Chirag Kamdar and Jehaan Mehta briefed by Argus Partners represented His Holiness Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin before the Bombay High Court.

The team at Argus Partners comprised of Abeezar Ebrahim Faizullabhoy (Senior Partner), Murtaza Kachwalla (Partner), and Jaisha Sabavala (Senior Associate).