Ujjwal Nikam is an Indian senior criminal lawyer who has served as Special Public Prosecutor in the Maharashtra government in many prominent cases related to terrorism and murder including the 1993 Bombay Bombings and Gulshan Kumar murder case.
Wiki/Biography
Ujjwal Nikam was born on Monday, 30 March 1953 (age 70 years; as of 2023) in Jalgaon, Maharashtra. His zodiac sign is Aries. After completing his schooling, Nikam pursued a bachelor of science degree at a college in Jalgaon. He completed his law degree in 1978 from S.S. Maniyar College Jalgaon, Maharashtra.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Ujjwal belongs to a Marathi family.
Parents & Siblings
His father’s name is Deoraoji Nikam. His father was a judge and barrister while his mother was a homemaker. Ujjwal has two brothers, one elder, and one younger. His brothers look after the 150 acres of agricultural land in Jalgaon.
Wife & Children
Ujjwal got married to Jyoti Nikam on 5 February 1980. She is a homemaker.
Ujjwal Nikam with Jyoti Nikam
Together the couple has two children, a son, Aniket Nikam, and a daughter, Sharbari. His son, Aniket, is a Mumbai-based criminal lawyer.
Ujjwal Nikam with wife and children
Address
He resides at Ramdas Colony, Nikam Nagar, Mahabol Road, Jalgaon, Maharashtra, 425001.
Career
Nikam started his professional journey as a civil lawyer, handling numerous cases related to cooperative societies and sugar mills in Jalgaon. However, in the early 1980s, he chose to shift his focus towards criminal law. He served as a public prosecutor in Jalgaon district for a while before moving to Mumbai for the 1991 Blast Case.
Terrorism Cases
Ujjwal Nikam was appointed the special public prosecutor by the Maharashtra Government in the 1991 Kalyan Bombing case. Ravinder Singh Bittu, who was involved in bombing the train on 8 November 1991 was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the apex court of India. In the 1993 Bombay Bombing case, Ujjwal was once again appointed special public prosecutor considering his expertise in such matters. He put forth his arguments and managed a sentence to life imprisonment for Yakub Memon, mastermind of the case, and others involved. Later, Deepak Salvi replaced Ujjwal as special public prosecutor and dealt with the further developments in the case.
In the 2003 Bombing incident, two taxis loaded with explosives blasted which resulted in the death of 54 individuals and approximately 244 injuries. The bombings occurred at Zaveri Bazar and the Gateway of India in Mumbai. Ujjwal served as the prosecutor for this case, which was tried in a Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court. The death sentences awarded to Mohammed Haneef Sayed, his wife Fahmeeda, and his aide Ashrat Ansari by the POTA court were upheld by both the Mumbai High Court and the Supreme Court of India.
Mohammad Hanif Ansari, convict of 2003 Bombay Bombing case, going for hearing
In the case of the 2008 Mumbai Attacks, also known as the 26/11 attacks, Ujjwal served as the prosecutor. He was instrumental in securing a death sentence for Ajmal Kasab, the only surviving attacker out of the nine involved. Following this case, Nikam received many death threats, taking note of which the Maharashtra government provided him with Z+ security.
Ujjwal Nikam after the pronouncement of the death sentence to Ajmal Kasab
Murder Cases
In the mid-1980s, Nikam appeared for the first time as a public prosecutor in a criminal case in which a pregnant lady was murdered. He successfully managed to bring the accused into the court who was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1997, Ujjwal appeared as a prosecutor in the murder case of the singer Gulshan Kumar who was shot dead on 12 August 1997 in front of a temple in Andheri, Mumbai. 19 people were charged in the case but all were acquitted except one.
Abdul Rauf Dawood Merchant convicted in Gulshan Kumar murder case
On 29 September 2006, the Khairlanji Massacre took place in which four members of a Dalit family were beaten and murdered by a mob in Maharashtra. Ujjwal took part in the court proceedings of the case as the special public prosecutor. On 15 September 2008, six people were sentenced to death and two others were given life imprisonment in the killings. The death sentences were later commuted to life in prison by the upper court.
Ujjwal Nikam shaking hands with Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange, the lone survivor of the Dalit family, after winning the case
In 2006, BJP leader Pramod Mahajan was murdered by his brother Parveen Mahajan due to a family dispute; Parveen was sentenced to life in prison in 2007. In addition to this, Ujjwal appeared in many prominent murder cases including the Pallavi Purkayastha murder case (2013) and the Preeti Rathi murder case (2013).
Ujjwal Nikam with Poonam Mahajan, daughter of Pramod Mahajan, outside the court premises
In August 2022, he was appointed the special public prosecutor in a 19-year-old case that occurred in 2003 in which a 62-year-old obstetrician, Asha Goel, was murdered.
Rape Cases
Ujjwal was a special public prosecutor in the Marine Drive rape case that took place in 2005 when a police constable, Sunil More, raped a 15-year-old girl in the police station. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Nikam appeared in another shocking event, the Shakti Mill Gang Rape Case 2014, in which a photojournalist was gang raped by four people. The judge in his v