Devendra Fadnavis Called, Asked Me To Take Up Case: Ujjwal Nikam On Fort Murder

Senior advocate Ujjwal Nikam has said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis personally called him on Friday afternoon and asked him to take up the prosecution in the murder case of Ketan Agarwal.

Nikam, who was the special public prosecutor in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks trial, told NDTV that the Chief Minister had explained the facts of the case to him during the call. The family of Ketan Agarwal had met Fadnavis and requested that Nikam be appointed to handle the prosecution. 

"Today in the afternoon, I got a call from the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. The victim's family also met him and requested my appointment," Nikam told NDTV's Managing Editor Shiv Aroor.

According to Nikam, the Chief Minister described the killing as a challenge to the state and a pre-planned murder. Nikam said he gave his oral consent after the Chief Minister expressed confidence in him. 

"I am not aware of all the facts of the case. Because the police are still investigating the matter. They have not yet filed the charges. And my role will start only after the filing of the charges. So it would be too premature to make any comment on the investigation, as well as the progress of the investigation. But certainly after filing the charges, I would be in a position to tell and divulge some facts. But apparently, it appears this case rests solely on the circumstantial evidence. That is what it prima facie appears from the news reports," Nikam said.

Fadnavis met Ketan Agarwal's father, Vishal Agarwal, in Pune. The Chief Minister assured the family that the guilty would receive the harshest punishment and that no stone would be left unturned to deliver justice. The Chief Minister's Office stated in a post on X that the family had demanded a fast-track court and the appointment of Nikam as special public prosecutor. Both demands were accepted immediately. 

"I am very optimistic about the positive result of the investigation. But frankly speaking, this is a very serious matter. And the prima facie seems that this is a case of criminal conspiracy. But let us see how the police divulge the facts and how they can bring the accused to guilt," Nikam told NDTV. 

His role as prosecutor would begin only after the filing of charges, he added. He described it as premature to comment on the investigation or its progress. 

"But I can assure you that let the police file charges in the court of law, then I would be in a position to tell you where we are standing," he added. 

Ketan Agarwal fell to his death on June 18 after being pushed by his fiancee Siya Goyal and her lover Chetan Babulal Chaudhary, police said. The two allegedly pushed him into a valley from Lohagad Fort in the Sahyadri range. The incident was initially reported as an accidental fall during a trek.