After Death Sentence No 38

Ujjwal Nikam, public prosecutor in the Kasab case, visits a temple after every such verdict, but not to ask for forgiveness.

When Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam was travelling to court on the day of the sentencing of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, his convoy made a detour to the famous Siddhivinayak Temple. Nikam who had got 37 death sentences in his career (which he claims is a record) and 608 life sentences was praying that the judge would order Kasab to be hanged.

Lord Ganesha obliged and Nikam walked out of the trial, securing his 38th number. Life has been busy since, with TV appearances and media interactions, and the lawyer has been unable to go back to the deity. He plans to do so shortly, but it has nothing to do with the deaths on his conscience.

Nikam, who is also a disciple of Satya Sai Baba, is unrepentant when a criminal’s life is forfeited by the state. “I am a God-fearing person. I visit the temple after every success, particularly death sentence. This is not to ask for forgiveness, but to pray for strength. Why should I ask for forgiveness when I have done nothing wrong. It is the action of the criminal that dictates their fate,” says Nikam.

The argument of forgiveness means nothing to him. Nor is he bothered by the Hindu idea of karma, which says that every action of man has repercussions. “What is karma? Am I doing anything wrong by getting justice for people who cannot do it for themselves? I am not scared of karma,” he says.

His wife is, however, still to deal with him getting death sentences for so many people. She is more spiritual and regularly visits temples. “She makes up for what I lack and prays for me. Though she is happy about my success, she is still unable to deal with the death sentence. So I am sure she includes all this in her prayers,” says Nikam.

Ajmal KasablawyerUjjwal Nikam