Meet Ujjwal Nikam: The prosecutor behind Ajmal Kasab's trial, now handling Ketan Agarwal murder case

The Maharashtra government appointed Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Ujjwal Nikam as the special public prosecutor in Ketan Agarwal's murder case. Nikam said on Friday he accepted the responsibility following a request from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the victim's family.

Nikam told ANI that he received a call from Fadnavis this afternoon, who informed him that the Agarwal family had met him and sought his appointment in the case. He added that the Chief Minister also described the matter as a challenge for Maharashtra and urged him to take up the responsibility, after which he agreed.

"The entire nation has been shaken by this murder. This afternoon, I received a call from Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. He informed me that the Agarwal family had met him and requested that I be appointed as the Special Public Prosecutor in this case. The Chief Minister told me that this poses a challenge for Maharashtra, and he, too, requested that I serve as the Special Public Prosecutor for the matter. I agreed," Nikam was quoted as saying.

Ujjwal Nikam's career, high-profile cases and fees

Ujjwal Nikam is a public prosecutor who has handled many high-profile cases in the past. He had a key role in legal battles surrounding the 1993 Bombay Blasts and 2008 Mumbai Train Attacks.

He began his career as a district prosecutor in Jalgaon before he became the State's go-to lawyer in high-stakes criminal and terrorism trials. He eventually became Maharashtra’s most popular lawyer. In a 30-year career, he has reportedly secured 628 life imprisonments and 37 death penalties.

Nikam's first major national case was the trial of the 1993 Bombay serial blasts, Bar and Bench reported. He subsequently handled the murder case of T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar and the killing of BJP leader Pramod Mahajan.

However, it was his role as special public prosecutor in the trial of Ajmal Kasab — the lone surviving accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks - that made him a household name.

Other high-profile cases in his career include the Khairlanji Dalit massacre, the Shakti Mills gang rape, the Kopardi rape and murder case and the 2010 German Bakery blast in Pune.

Ujjwal Nikam was also appointed the public prosecutor by the Maharashtra government on the case pertaining to the 1995 murder of the builder Pradip Jain, in which gangster Abu Salem was a convict.

In 2024, Nikam briefly stepped into politics, contesting the Lok Sabha elections as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Mumbai North Central.

He was subsequently re-appointed as special public prosecutor in several cases he had recused from during the election period.

In July 2025, President Droupadi Murmu nominated him to the Rajya Sabha in recognition of his contributions to law and justice.

Nikam's fees

According to a report by the Caravan magazine published in 2025, Nikam, as an independent lawyer, is hired for each case on a contractual basis. Last year, he was paid about ₹40,000 per effective appearance, including ₹10,000 as consultation fees and ₹5,000 as accommodation.

For much of his career, he has been provided round-the-clock security, which costs lakhs of rupees per year.

Ketan's murder: About Ujjwal Nikam's latest case

Nikam's latest case concerns the death of 25-year-old realtor Ketan Agarwal near Lohagad Fort, close to Lonavla.

Police said Ketan died on June 18 after falling into a 350-foot-deep valley during a trek to the fort with his fiancée, Siya Goyal, and other friends.

The case was initially registered as an accidental death but was later converted into a murder case in which Siya and her lover Chetan Chaudhary are prime accused.

According to police, Goyal and Agarwal were scheduled to get married in November, but she did not want to marry him. Siya and Chetan allegedly hatched a conspiracy to eliminate Ketan and executed the plan.

Goyal and Chaudhary were arrested on June 23 and produced before the judicial magistrate at Wadgaon Maval, who remanded them to police custody for seven days. They are currently in custody till June 29.

Goyal is being represented by Advocate Aashuutosh Srivastava, an alumnus of Pune University and Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies (SIBM), Pune.

He founded his own law firm, AA Associates, Advocates & Legal Advisors, in Pune in 2006 and is a member of the Supreme Court Bar Association, New Delhi.

Chaudhary is being represented by Advocate Ram Shahane.