Ujjwal Nikam, known as a government lawyer in the 2008 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case and other high-profile cases, has been appointed special public prosecutor in the Ketan Agarwal murder case in Maharashtra, where the 22-year-old was killed by his fiancée Siya Goyal and her lover Chetan Chaudhary in Pune.
Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Nikam on Friday said he accepted responsibility on the request of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the victim’s family. Nikam said that he received a phone call from the Prime Minister in the afternoon, informing him that the Agarwal family had met him and requested his appointment in the case.
“The entire nation has been shaken by this murder,” he told news agency ANI in Mumbai.
“Police investigations are currently underway, and we will be able to reveal the status of the investigation only after the chargesheet is filed. This is a big responsibility, as I have dealt and continue to deal with many such cases in Maharashtra,” he said.
“The rule of law must be maintained in Maharashtra, and keeping this sentiment in mind, I told the Prime Minister: Yes, I will definitely look into this matter,” he added.
What is the case
Earlier in the day, Ketan Agarwal’s father met CM Fadnavis in Pune and demanded speedy justice.
The government agreed to the demand for the establishment of a fast-track court along with the appointment of Nikam as public prosecutor.
Ketan Agarwal died on June 18 after falling from Lohagad Fort near Pune.
Police are investigating the matter as a suspected murder. His fiancée Siya Goyal and her friend Chetan Chaudhary have been arrested and are currently in police custody while the investigation continues.
Nikam and his record
Ujjwal Nikam has served as prosecutor in several high-profile criminal and terrorism cases, including the 1993 Bombay bombings, the killing of music industry honcho Gulshan Kumar, and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist 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 subsequently reappointed him to his previous legal roles, and in July 2025, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Draupadi Murmu.
During the trial of the 26/11 case, Nikam promoted the narrative that terrorist Ajmal Kasab demanded mutton biryani in prison; Years later, Nikam admitted that the claim was fabricated. He said he lied to the media to defuse public sympathy, if any, after Kasab was seen wiping tears in the courtroom.
