Pune: Senior advocate Rohini Salian has consented to take up the case of IT professional Mohsin Shaikh, who was allegedly murdered by fringe right-wing outfit Hindu Rashtra Sena (HRS) in 2014, after lawyer Ujjwal Nikam stepped down as special public prosecutor in the case last month.
However, her appointment by the State government is pending.
After Mr. Nikam quit the case, the Shaikh family had written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the Law and Judiciary Department requesting Ms. Salian’s appointment as the special public prosecutor.
In a letter dated July 13 and addressed to Mohammed Sadiq Shaikh, the father of the deceased, Ms. Salian gave her consent appear as special public prosecutor on behalf of the State in the Sessions Court in Pune. Mr. Shaikh expressed hope that the government would appoint Ms. Salian soon.
The already protracted case was in limbo for more than a month after Mr. Nikam stepped down. At the time, some social outfits had blamed the lawyer for caving in to pressure from right-wing groups, and others had accused Mr. Nikam of being close to such groups.
Since then, Mohsin’s father has repeatedly petitioned Mr. Fadnavis, seeking appointment of a notable lawyer to take up his son’s case.
The 28-year-old Mohsin was allegedly beaten to death by HRS activists on the night of June 2, 2014, in Hadapsar, after derogatory pictures of Chhatrapati Shivaji and late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on social media had sparked communal tension across the city.
The prime accused, HRS chief Dhananjay Desai, is incarcerated in Yerwada Central Jail. The Pune police had filed a charge sheet against 23 people. However, 17 of the 23 have been released on bail for lack of evidence.
