The public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam has attracted criticism not only from his colleagues in the law but also from the social media users for his statement, revealing how he concocted the "mutton biryani" story to disrupt the emotional wave against the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack accused Ajmal Kasab who was hanged to death in November 2012.
Nikam on Friday disclosed that the story that Kasab had asked for mutton biryani in jail was a lie fabricated to stop the emotional wave created by the media after seeing Kasab's tears during a trial.
"There was a hullabaloo after the media reported that Kasab had turned emotional and was crying during the trial. There should not be a media trial as Kasab was not repenting, he was only pretending," The Indian Express quoted Nikam as saying.
Nikam's apparent revelation did not really serve in his favour and instead it enraged his colleagues and the people who took to Twitter to condemn Nikam for lying.
"We are representatives of the public as well as the society," Senior lawyer Rohini Salian told the daily, "As an officer of the court, I have no right to come to a conclusion. It is my duty to present the truth to the court and then leave it to the court to take a decision. As prosecutors, we can't be biased. We must present the case independently and without hatred for anyone".
Even the Twitterati have questioned his practice as a lawyer and called him a liar.
Ujjwal NIkam lied to the nation on Kasab Biryani surprises me, it would be interesting for courts to believe a lair: Shamim Anwer tweeted.
It is a shame that a person not less than government prosecutor cooked up story.: Vidya Bhushan Rawat said in a tweet.
Kasab never asked for biryani, we fabricated it, says public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. what will be the sentence for this public fabricator?: Riaz Ahamed questioned in tweet.
Kasab biryani story a lie. Wave of support for Kasab a lie. Liars win.
— ranjona banerji (@ranjona) March 21, 2015
Though it should not surprise us that lawyers lie. They run our country after all... #KasabBiryani: ranjona banerji said in another tweet.
Even as Nikam was being slammed for cooking up a lie despite being one of the guardians of the law, there were others who believed there was no need to bother on the issue as the revelation will change nothing.
Ok Kasab never asked for Biryani but why is it bothering us all?:Che
Justice was served even if biryani wasn't. Kasab wasn't hanged for demanding biryani! Why is the media so hurt?
— Thought Shots (@ShootinThoughts) March 21, 2015
Hold your horses. Kasab wasn't convicted for ordering biryani. Nikam did not present this as proof. No miscarriage of justice in Nikam's lie — Bana de Lohagarh (@kamleshksingh) March 21, 2015
Why lie after all?
While others called him a liar and some found his lie not worthy enough, a bunch of people questioned the need to create a myth by telling a lie if there was efficient evidence to prove him guilty.
India had a watertight case against Kasab, then why make up a lie about the 'mutton biryani'?: Debashish Sarkar tweeted.
Kasab had to die; so why did Ujjwal Nikam have to lie #Biryani #UjjwalNikam: Mahrukh Inayet questioned in a tweet.
