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Vijaya Sharma
On April 27, 1959 a "crime of passion" sent shockwaves
rippling through Bombay. A Navy commander had murdered a ritzy romeo
with a penchant for defence personnel's wives.
The agent provocateur was Prem Ahuja, a businessman
and a philandering high society playboy who wore his heart on his
sleeve and had almost whisked away Commander Kawas Nanavati's alluring
English wife Sylvia. When three bullets from the smoking gun barrel
put an end to the fatal attraction.
Such an incident was unheard of in the higher
echelons of the Bombay society and the case, termed as the original
crime of passion, immediately caught the imagination of the people
in Bombay and nationwide.
Not just that. The case brought forth an upheavel
in the judicial system of the country and was a landmark in India's
legal history. Jury trials in India were abolished after this case
as they were allegations that the jury had been influenced in this
case to give a verdict in favour of Nanavati.
From books to movies to discussions over cups
of tea in families, the case spawned an interest unparalled till
date. It created a legion of maidens whose hearts fluttered at the
sight of the commander and it created a ghost whose unsatiated spirit
roamed the roads around Bombay's flora fountain.
The high profile legal wrangle on the case soon
turned it into a Parsi vs Sindhi community confrontation. Karl Khandalavala
became the representative of the Parsi community fighting for the
Parsi commander and Ram Jethmalani of the Sindhi community backing
the deceased Prem Ahuja.
There were huge demonstrations from the Parsi
community in Nanavati's favour. Blitz led by Russy Karanjia painted
Nanavati as a hero and Prem Ahuja as a black hearted villain.
The case was fought in the sessions court in
Mumbai, the High Court and the Supreme Court. All the three courts
finally gave the same judgment - that Nanavati had murdered Prem
Ahuja. It was proved as a premeditated murder.
In 1960, Nanavati was given a life sentence.
But the drama had not yet ended. After serving in jail for a few
years, in a dramatic turn of events, Nanavati was pardoned by the
then Maharashtra governor, Vijaylakshmi Pandit.
Immediately after the pardon, Nanavati, Sylvia
and the three children left for Canada never to return to India.
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