Who is Ujjwal Nikam appointed special public prosecutor in Thane sexual assualt case?

Lawyer Ujjwal Nikam, who has worked on several high-profile cases including -- the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and 1993 Mumbai serial blasts -- has been appointed as special public prosecutor in the alleged Thane sexual assault case against two minor girls, which has triggered furore among people. 

Who is Ujjwal Nikam?

1. Ujjwal Nikam, a Padma Shri awardee, has played a significant role in major terror-related cases across the country. He helped in convicting Ravinder Singh alias Bittu in the Kalyan bomb blasts in 1991, which took away 12 lives and left around 65 injured.

2. Nikam was also the public prosector in the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack case, in which he succesfully argued for Ajmal Kasab's death penalty. 

3. He went on to become the special public prosecutor in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, a series of 12 terrorsist bombings which resulted in 257 fatalities and 1,400 injuries. 

4.  Ujjwal Nikam was awarded with Padma Shri in 2016. Moreover, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had fielded him from the Mumbai north central constituency in the Lok Sabha polls 2024 which he lost to Congress's Gaikwad Varsha Eknath. 

Thane sexual assualt case

On August 16, two four-year-old girls were allegedly raped inside the girl's toilet at an English medium school. The accused was held and the principal was suspended by the school administration. 

Moreover, the investigation revealed several lapses on the part of the school administration. According to a report by NDTV, there was a lack of basic safety equipment and there were no female attendants in the girls' toilet. 

Protests in Maharashtra

Coming in the backdrop of the Kolkata doctor rape and murder case which has led to nationwide protests, the Thane sexual assault case against the two minor girls triggered outrage with people blocking train movements at the local Badlapur railway station and shouting slogans demanding capital punishment for the guilty on Monday, i.e., August 20. 

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister directs formation of SIT 

Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by a woman IPS officer, to probe the case. The government has also asked the police to submit a proposal for a fast-track court to try the case, as per a report by NDTV.