Mumbai: The Rs52.67 lakh bill for the services of special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam over the last seven years has come under the Bombay High Court’s scanner.
Hearing a PIL challenging the appointment of Nikam, who is from Jalgaon, as special public prosecutor and the expenditure on his boarding and lodging in Mumbai, the HC on Wednesday called for an audit of his Rs 52 lakh bill by the accountant-general, under the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
Nikam, currently prosecutor in the 1993 serial blasts trial, is known for his legal acumen and oratory skills.
Though finding no irregularity in the procedure of appointing Nikam as special public prosecutor, Justice RM Lodha and Justice SA Bobade said when there were 25,000 lawyers in Mumbai, there was no justification in getting Nikam from Jalgaon.
Nikam travels in a bullet-proof car escorted by armed police personnel. He stays at Hotel Residency in Fort when he comes to Mumbai for a hearing. The average monthly expenditure on the security of his family in Jalgaon is Rs5.21 lakh.
According to information sought by the petitioner, AS Shirsat, under the Right to Information Act, till date, the state government has spent Rs1.51 crore on Nikam’s security.
