Ujjwal Nikam
| Ujjwal Nikam | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 30 March 1953 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Spouse(s) | Jyoti Nikam |
| Children | One Son and One Daughter |
Ujjwal Nikam (born 30 March 1953) is an Indian Public Prosecutor, popular for being in various cases like 1993 Bombay blasts, Gulshan Kumar murder case and Pramod Mahajan murder trial. He was also the Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks wherein the main accused Ajmal Kasab was held guilty and sentenced to death. Ujjwal Nikam is also the Special Public Prosecutor(SPP) in the 2013 Mumbai gang rape case.[1][2]
Early life
Ujjwal Nikam was born in a Maratha family at Jalgaon, Maharashtra to Barrister Deoraoji Nikam. His father was a Judge and a Lawyer by profession and mother was a housewife. Nikam completed his Bachelors in Science and received his law degree from the K.C.E Society's S.S. Maniyar Law college of Jalgaon. He served as District Government Prosecutor of Jalgaon.
Career
Nikam was appointed as special public prosecutor in the 1993 Mumbai bomb-blast case in 1994. After that he handled various high-profile cases, such as:
- 2013 Mumbai gang rape - Three repeat offenders got death, one offender got life term in Shakti Mills gang rape case (Verdict on 4 April 2014)[3]
- Mumbai bomb blast trial - A special court was set up in 1994 under the TADA (P) Act to conduct the trial of a series of 13 bomb explosions that took place in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India on 12 March 1993. The trial lasted for almost 14 years. In 2006, 100 of the 129 accused were found to be guilty and were convicted.
- Gulshan Kumar Murder trial
- Pramod Mahajan Murder trial
- Gateway of India Blast case - 2003.
- Khairlanji massacre of Dalit, which refers to the 2006 lynching-style murders of a Dalit family. The killings took place in a small village in India named Khairlanj of the state of Maharashtra. The verdict in the 2006 Khairlanji court case was announced on 15 Sep 2008. Six people were sentenced to death, while two others were given life imprisonment.
- Rathi Murder Trial, Pune
- Nadeem Saifi Extradition Case,London
- Ajmal Kasab trial case - Ajmal kasab is a terrorist who was involved in 26 November 2008 Mumbai attacks. He is the only attacker captured alive by police and in Indian custody till he was hanged on 21 November 2012 at 7:30 a.m. Nine other attackers were killed during the three-day siege in November, which left 164 people dead and targeted luxury hotels, a Jewish center and other sites across the city. Ujjwal Nikam is appointed as a special public prosecutor for this trial. A death sentence was awarded to Ajmal Kasab on 6 May 2010. He appeared as a special public prosecutor in supreme court of India with Advocate Gopal Subramaniam in this case. On 29 August 2012, The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence awarded to 26/11 accused Ajmal Kasab and rejected his appeal against his conviction and death sentence in the Mumbai terror attacks in which 166 people were killed.
- July,2013: Public Prosecuter in the Pallavi Purkayastha Murder Case. Guilty watchman Sajjad Moghul was sentenced to life in July 2014.[4]
- Kalyan Local Railway Bomblast Trial- 1991.
- Marine drive police Chowky rape case of police constable SUNIL MORE.
- Bal Hatyakand case, Kolhapur.
- In his 30-year legal career, Nikam has handled numerous cases, and served as public prosecutor for important trials at state as well as national level. He has secured 628 life imprisonments and 37 death penalties. He has been provided with Z-plus security by government of India due to his involvement in high-profile trials.
- In December 2010, Nikam represented Govt. Of India in the world wide convention on terrorism held by United Nations, New York.[5] Nikam was also nominated by Govt.of India for participating in the seminar held at The Hague on 13 March 2011 by International Center for Counter Terrorism.
Social activities
In spite of hectic schedule and heavy pressures, his commitment towards other aspects of society are never ignored. He is socially very active and also played some key roles in some organisations.
- Dean- Faculty of law, North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon (1995–2001)
- Senator- North Maharashtra university, Jalgaon. (1995–2001)
- Member- Zonal Advisory Board (West) LIC (2001–2003).
- Director- Union Bank Of India. (2001–2004)
Awards and recognition
Ex-President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam has conferred Doctorate degree on Shri. Ujjwal Nikam at D.Y. Patil University, Pune in year 2010. He has received more than 75 rewards from various institutions. Few prominent among them are:
- "Daksh Nagrik"- from citizens of Nagpur in 2004.
- "Maharashtra State Idol"- by Daily Newspaper, Maharashtra Times, Mumbai in 2006.
- "Rashtra Seva Puraskar"- by manibhai Desai Pratishtan, Pune 2006.
- "Samaj Shree"- by Business Enterprise, Sangli, in 2006.
- "Top Marathi Achiever"- by Daily Newspaper, Maharashtra Times in 2007.
- "Jiva Mahale Puraskar"- by Pratap Gad Samiti, Wai, Dist. Satara in year 2007.
- "Charitrya Puraskar, Pune"- in year 2008.
- "Freedom Fighter Undhalkar Social Reward"- by President of INDIA in 2009.
- "SuryaDatt National Award"- in Pune, 2010.
- "Best Advocate"- by Star Majha - News Channel in 2010.
- "Maharashtra Ratna"- by Maharashtra Govt., Zee TV and Daily Newspaper in 2010.
References
- ↑ http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/1893136/report-finish-photojournalist-rape-trial-in-60-days-ujjwal-nikam-told
- ↑ http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/crime/How-Ujjwal-Nikam-sparked-missing-rape-suspect-rumours/articleshow/23117326.cms
- ↑ http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/shakti-mills-gang-rape-case-three-repeat-offenders-get-death-life-term-for-one_922196.html
- ↑ "Pallavi Purkayastha murder case: life sentence to guilty watchman sajjad moghul". Patrika Group. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ↑ "Ujjwal Nikam to represent India at convention on terrorism in U.N.". The Hindu. 29 Nov 2012. Retrieved 10 Feb 2012.