Who is Ujjwal Nikam?

Mumbai, Aug 26: The gangrape of a 22-year-old photojournalist on August 22 that shocked the entire Mumbai (as it is considered to be one of the safest cities for women), has now been handed over to noted criminal lawyer Ujjwal Nikam by the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Now, Nikam will appear as the special public prosecuter in the sensational gangrape case of 22-year-old photojournalist.

Shortly after the Maharashtra CM and the State Home Minister RR Patil rang him up regarding the gangrape case, Nikam confirmed to an agency by saying, "The chief minister telephoned me a few minutes back and I have agreed to take up the case."

The 23-year-old photojournalist, who was working as an intern with an English Magazine, was gangraped in the premises of the defunct Shakti Mills Compound where she had gone along with a male colleague on an official assignment to shoot pictures on August 22.

Three days after the crime, all five accused have been arrested by the Mumbai police and now they will face the trial in a fast track court.

All the five accused have been booked under various sections of IPC such as 376(D) (rape), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506(2) (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention).

Nikam's achievements

Born on March 30, 1953, Ujjwal Nikam has fought various high-profile cases in his more than 30-year-old career at state as well as national level.

Some of them include 1993 Bombay bomb blasts case, the famous devotional songs singer Gulshan Kumar murder case, BJP leader Pramod Mahajan murder case and he became popular during the trial of the main accused Ajmal Amir Kasab in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, which left 164 people dead.

Kasab was hanged to death on November 21, 2012 at Yerwada jail in Pune.

On Kasab's hanging, Nikam said, "It is victory for the country. By hanging Kasab, we have paid homage to all those policemen and innocent persons who lost their lives."

He also said, "By Kasab's conviction and death penalty, we have proved how the entire conspiracy was hatched in Pakistan. We have set an example that India will not tolerate such attacks and the accused will be brought to justice."

Nikam, whose father was a judge and a lawyer by profession, also engages in numerous social activities apart from his busy and hectic schedule.

Nikam is a proud recipient of more than 75 awards for his dedication to his work. Among many awards and recognition, Nikam was conferred with the prestigious Doctorate Degree by the former president of India Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 2010.

Film on Ujjwal Nikam

It is also said that a 150-minute feature film is being made on the life of high-profile public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam with a focus on his professional skills and legal acumen.

Titled Adesh--Power of Law, the film is currently being shot at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad and would be released in September 2013. It would be made in Marathi and also dubbed in Hindi and Telugu.

OneIndia News