Ujjwal Nikam to appear as special prosecutor in Lohagad Fort murder case

Senior lawyer Ujjwal Nikam has agreed to appear as special public prosecutor in the case concerning the alleged murder of 25-year-old Ketan Agarwal, who died after falling from a cliff near Lohagad Fort in Maharashtra's Pune district earlier this month.

The development follows a meeting between Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the victim's father, Vishal Agarwal, in Pune on Friday. 

According to an official statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), Fadnavis assured the family that the State would ensure stringent punishment for those responsible for Agarwal's death.

He accepted their request for Nikam's appointment as special public prosecutor.

Nikam has conveyed his consent, the lawyer told Bar and Bench.

The Chief Minister has also directed the Law and Judiciary Department to initiate the necessary process. Fadnavis further agreed to the family's demand to have the case tried in a fast-track court.

Nikam began his career as a district prosecutor in Jalgaon before rising to become the State's go-to lawyer in high-stakes criminal trials. His first major national case was the trial of the 1993 Bombay serial blasts. 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. 

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

In 2024, Nikam briefly stepped into politics, contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai North Central on a BJP ticket. He was subsequently re-appointed as special public prosecutor in several cases he had recused from during the election period.

His latest case concerns the death of Ketan Agarwal near Lohagad Fort, close to Lonavla. Police said Agarwal 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.

Five days after the incident, police alleged that Agarwal had been killed by Goyal (20) and her friend Chetan Chaudhary (22). 

According to investigators, Goyal, who was engaged to marry Agarwal later this year, did not wish to go ahead with the marriage and, along with Chaudhary, conspired to eliminate him.

The police have invoked provisions relating to murder and criminal conspiracy under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

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, A A 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.