Mumbai, October 31, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Greater Mumbai Sessions Court at Mazgaon has set aside the summons issued against Niket Vijay Mehta in the Lilavati Hospital ‘black magic’ case, observing that the mere discovery of ritual pots, or kalash, buried beneath a floor does not amount to a criminal offence.
Additional Sessions Judge Kunal Dhanaji Jadhav allowed Criminal Revision Application No. 01 of 2026 and quashed the order passed on December 8, 2025, by the Judicial Magistrate First Class, 12th Court, Bandra.
The complaint was filed by Prashant Mehta, who claimed to be a permanent trustee of the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. He alleged that after taking over the trust’s administration following a Supreme Court order dated September 18, 2023, eight copper pots were found buried beneath the floor of his cabin on September 21, 2024.
According to the complaint, the pots contained human remains, rice, hair, ash and other materials suspected to be associated with black magic rituals. Prashant accused former management members, including Niket Mehta and six others, of carrying out occult practices to obtain supernatural blessings and harm the trustees.
However, the Sessions Court identified shortcomings in the complaint and the evidence presented. It noted that there was no clear explanation of who had buried the pots, when they had been buried or what specific role each accused was alleged to have played.
The court also pointed to the absence of forensic evidence establishing whether the recovered bones were human remains or whether the hair and other materials were connected to any unlawful activity.
The judge observed that burying ritual pots containing rice, sacred water, coins or other materials could form part of customary Hindu practices associated with Vastu and religious ceremonies.
Such practices, the court noted, cannot automatically be treated as criminal acts in the absence of evidence of prohibited conduct or an intention to cause harm, deception or fear.
Holding that the magistrate’s summoning order was legally unsustainable and lacked sufficient grounds, the Sessions Court allowed the revision application and quashed the summons against Niket Mehta.
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