In one of the most brazen displays of shamelessness, the community and its reputation has been once again subjected to loathsome behavior instigated by the Mehta family (Dinshaw Mehta and his son, Hormuz Mehta), against the Bombay Parsi Punchayet Trustees, which shockingly came down to physical assault, right outside the Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court located at Ballad Pier, on the 8th of September, 2016.

The Mehtas and the BPP Trustees (Chairman Yazdi Desai, Kersi Randeria and Zarir Bhathena) were attending the case, where the latter were rooting for reopening the investigation in the alleged cash transaction of the Dadi House Controversy – between Khojeste Mistree (main complainant) and The State of Maharshtra. On the 2nd of August, 2016, when the case was taken up before the court, ex-Chairman BPP, Dinshaw Mehta, had gotten up and was making numerous comments in the court and was told by the judge that if he wanted to say anything, he would have to come on the next given date with his lawyer. On the same day, the police had filed a detailed report and requested the court that they be allowed to reopen and reinvestigate the case.

On 8th September, when the matter was again being heard in court, Mehta’s lawyer cited a case law allowing Dinshaw Mehta to become a party in this matter. Since even the public prosecutor had filed his reply accepting that the case should be reopened, the Hon’ble judge was unwilling to give congnizance to Mehta’s lawyer, especially since the lawyer hadn’t filed the basic application for Dinshaw to be made a party in the case. When the layer asked for time to postpone the case by a few days to file this application, the judge refused to give the extension and insisted that the lawyer come back in an hour and file the application. This happened at about 3:30 pm.

Trustee Kersi Randeria’s presence in the court was mainly due to a resolution passed by the BPP Board on Tuesday, 6th September, 2016 regarding participation in the court proceedings of the said legal case, authorizing Kersi Randeria to appear for and on behalf of the BPP.

As everyone started walking out of the court for the one hour interval, Hormuz Mehta  allegedly started cursing members of Kersi Randeria’s family in the most vulgar terms – which would tantamount to outraging the modesty of women. Barely had Kersi responded by pushing him away as a bid to tell him not to provoke him and to stay away, that suddenly Dinshaw Mehta physically accosted Kersi from behind, by jumping on to his back, with a stone in his hand and started pelting the right side of his face repeatedly with the stone, badly injuring his right eye. Hormuz Mehta joined his father, Dinshaw Mehta, punching Kersi in the stomach.

As Kersi fell down and temporarily lost consciousness due to this combined attack, Khorshed Meherjee, who was an eye-witness to this entire fiasco, raised an alarm calling out for the police. She told Parsi Times, “Throughout the hearing Dinshaw kept instigating Kersi by using foul and filthy language against him and two other people. When the judge adjourned the hearing for an hour, so as to give Dinshaw’s lawyer time to produce the necessary application and documents, Dinshaw tried to create a ruckus and further instigated Kersi by saying, ‘Step outside and I’ll teach you’.  In a while, I heard some commotion. On stepping out, I saw a crowd had gathered and literary like a monkey, Dinshaw had jumped on Kersi from behind, was holding his neck and giving a blow to Kersi’s right eye. Kersi’s specs flew off. I ran inside the courtroom and shouted for help, which is when the judge sent two policemen outside. On noticing the policemen and all of us running towards him. Dinshaw pulled Kersi back, making Kersi land on the floor. Then he ran to his son, who was standing a few meters away and in no time, Hormuz quite literally spinned himself around only to land flat on his stomach on the floor! He even himself self-scratched his hand on a brick-like structure which was holding a plant! Somehow, with people’s help Kersi stood back on his feet and approached the judge in his accosted state. Being a witness to the entire episode, the judge heard my statement in the witness box, which is when Dinshaw again retaliated by calling me a liar. The judge immediately asked Kersi to go to the hospital and to the police station, where Anahita Desai, Karryesh (another witness) and I gave our statements”.

The rest of the evening was spent by both at St. George Hospital where Kersi Randeria was nursing a severely bruised eye and a hairline shoulder fracture, relegating him to using an arm-sling; and Hormuz Mehta was still in a semi-conscious state. Well-wishers and family members had gathered at the hospital. They were then sent to JJ Hospital for further tests and later discharged. Complaints have also been lodged at the MRA Marg Police Station. PT caught up with main complainant and ex-BPP Trustee, Khojeste Mistree, at the St. George Hospital, who was quite shaken and disgruntled by the crude behavior and the constant interference of Dinshaw Mehta creating glitches in the smooth functioning of this case. “He is constantly trying to divert the attention of the court with his depraved antics. But this kind of an act, where he has become physically violent, has got to be a new low for our community! This is his show of blatant disregard for our laws or social civility. I sincerely hope that the community gets together and stands in unity against such shows of unabashed violence.”

Dinshaw Mehta Booked Under Section 509: ‘Word, Ges-ture Or Act Intended To Insult The Modesty Of A Woman.’

A complaint against Dinshaw Mehta has also been filed under Section 509, which protects the modesty of women, by braveheart, Rukhshana Farhad Delkhah, who was also present throughout the court proceedings and after, and was sick of being targeted (generally and individually) by Dinshaw Mehta’s lewd comments throughout the court proceedings. Says Rukhshana, “

The moment we went inside the court at around 2:30, even before the judge had arrived, Dinshaw Mehta was present and as usual, he started glaring at us disgustingly and went on to pass vulgar comments. Since the courtroom was filled, I was standing due lack of place to sit, and he was standing next to me. He kept exclaiming loudly in Gujarati how all of those supporting the complainant were bought off and were wh***s and pi**s. We all just ignored him as we are used to his vulgar disposition. Then the case started and we started to walk out and yet again he started hurling the same abuses at one and all. At that point I turned to him and said, ‘Dinshsaw, the entire community knows who is what so you better shut your mouth.’ He rudely dismissed me saying, “Ay – chal hatt – shut up!’. Then, Hormuz started loudly instigating Kersi by insulting and abusing his family in the sickest words possible and challenging him saying, ‘baar aau ni, pachi dekharuch’ (come out and then I’ll show you!) only because Kersi told him ‘I don’t think you should talk this way about them’, taking up for us as well. After they stepped out the altercation took place and they were back in, asked by the judge to lodge a police complaint. Once again, Dinshaw Mehta spoke of ill of his family and abused us, at which point I again him to keep quiet as he was talking nonsense. To this he pointed to me and said, ‘Ae saali r***, tu chup re! Tu baar au, hu tane joi levas. (You wh***, shut your mouth! You come outside and I will tackle you)’. I got completely frustrated treated with such disrespect and being a believer in the judicial system and lodged a complaint against Dinshaw Mehta under Section 509, outraging the woman’s modesty, which is a non-bailable offence, as he has truly insulted me and hurt my modesty and my womanhood and that is not acceptable. I appeal to my community to please get together and fight against such people who try to scare us and abuse us. Just chatting on whatsapp groups and Facebook will do nothing to stop such atrocities. I hope I have set a precedent and will be successful in empowering everyone to be brave and fight against such monsters”.