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‘Nation shaken’: Ujjwal Nikam of Kasab 26/11 case fame is govt lawyer in Pune man Ketan's murder by fiancée Siya Goyal
Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Nikam on Friday said he accepted the responsibility following a request from CM Devendra Fadnavis and the victim's family
Ujjwal Nikam, known for being a government lawyer in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case of 2008 and other high-profile cases, has been appointed as Special Public Prosecutor in the Ketan Agarwal murder case in Maharashtra, wherein the 22-year-old man was killed allegedly by his fiancée Siya Goyal and her lover Chetan Chaudhary in Pune.
Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Nikam on Friday said he accepted the responsibility following a request from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the victim's family. Nikam said he received a call from the CM in the afternoon, and he informed him that the Agarwal family had met him and sought his appointment in the case.
“The entire nation has been shaken by this murder,” he told news agency ANI in Mumbai.
“The police investigation is currently underway; we will only be able to disclose the status of the investigation once the charge sheet has been filed. This is a significant responsibility, as I have handled and continue to handle many such cases in the state of Maharashtra,” he said.
“The rule of law must be upheld in Maharashtra, and with that sentiment in mind, I told the CM, ‘Yes, I will certainly look into this’,” he added.
What's the case
Earlier in the day, the father of Ketan Agarwal met CM Fadnavis in Pune and demanded fast-track justice.
The government has approved the demand for setting up a fast-track court besides appointing Nikam as the public prosecutor.
Ketan Agarwal died on June 18 after falling from Lohagad Fort near Pune.
Police are investigating it as a suspected murder case. His fiancee, Siya Goyal, and her friend, Chetan Chaudhary, have been arrested and are currently in police custody as the probe continues.
Nikam and his record
Ujjwal Nikam has served as a public prosecutor in several high-profile criminal and terrorism cases, including the 1993 Bombay bombings, the murder of music industry honcho Gulshan Kumar, and the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks involving Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab.
In April 2024, he entered politics by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and resigned from his ongoing cases to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Mumbai North Central seat, but lost. The state government reappointed him to his previous legal roles later, and in July 2025 he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu.
During the 26/11 case trial, Nikam promoted the narrative that terrorist Ajmal Kasab demanded mutton biryani in jail; years later, Nikam admitted the claim was fabricated. He said he lied to the media to defuse public sympathy, if any, after Kasab was seen wiping away tears in the courtroom.
