Badlapur case: Senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam to be special public prosecutor

Nikam's appointment was announced by Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Updated on: Aug 21, 2024, 05:26:26 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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Senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam will be the special public prosecutor in the Badlapur case, according to Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Also Read: What happened in Badlapur? Sexual abuse case, protest explained

“Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has announced that the unfortunate incident in Badlapur will be speedily investigated and the case will go to a fast-track court. It has been decided to appoint senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor,” the deputy CM's office posted in Marathi on X (formerly Twitter).

Nikam, 71, has previously handled several high-profile cases; he was the public prosecutor in the trial of Ajmal Kasab, the only terrorist caught in the November 26, 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

The senior lawyer successfully argued for a death penalty. Kasab, a member of the Pakistan-based terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, was executed in Pune's Yerawada Jail in November 2012.

Nikam, a recipient of the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour, contested this year's Lok Sabha elections for the ruling BJP from the Mumbai North Central constituency. However, he was defeated by Varsha Gaikwad of the Congress in an extremely close contest.

Meanwhile, Badlapur in Thane district witnessed a massive protest on Tuesday over the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a cleaner of their school. Angry protesters stormed the Badlapur railway station and blocked the tracks, leading to train services being disrupted.

Also, they clashed with police and vandalised the school where the alleged assault occurred. In the evening, after several hours of blockade, police lathi-charged the crowd and cleared the tracks.

Fadnavis, Maharashtra's deputy CM and the home minister of the state, has also suspended three police personnel for the initial delay in lodging the FIR. He also announced that a special team under senior IPS officer Arti Singh, will investigate the case.

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