SC lawyer gunned down

MUMBAI, May 25: Special public prosecutor and Supreme Court lawyer, Ram Tekchand Shahani, was shot dead outside his Khar office this morning...

MUMBAI, May 25: Special public prosecutor and Supreme Court lawyer, Ram Tekchand Shahani, was shot dead outside his Khar office this morning. Shahani was shot thrice in his head and neck from point-blank range by the assailant who was apparently waiting for him near his office.

Eyewitnesses said Shahani arrived at the Radha Swami Apartments, 36th Road, where he has an office, at around 9.50 am in his blue Maruti Zen. Even as he opened the door of his car and was stepping out the killer walked behind him and pumped three bullets into his head. As Shahani slumped to the ground, the gunman walked out calmly and disappeared into the early morning traffic.

People who rushed to the spot after hearing the gun shots said they did not see anybody walking out of the building. A profusely bleeding Shahani was rushed to the Bhabha Hospital at Bandra, but was declared dead before admission.

Though investigators said it could be a 8220;supari killing,8221; they were not yet sure which underworld gang was involved.Investigation officer, Police Inspector Vilas Pawar, said that empty cartridges recovered from the spot indicated that a 9 mm pistol was used in the killing. The acting police commissioner, S S Puri, said: 8220;We are not ruling out any possibility at this stage8230;we are exploring all angles.8221;

One of the possible motive, a police source said, could be Shahani8217;s involvement in a property dispute which had led to attacks on him in the past also. In April last year Ruturaj Co-operative Housing Society in Juhu had filed a suit in the Mumbai City Civil Court against Advocate Shahani and one Sadananad Guru Rao. They were charged with usurping two commercial galas in the basement of the society building by forging documents. Subsequently, the galas were sealed by the court and the case is still pending in the court. The dispute had led to a few attacks on Shahani and police complaints to the effect were registered with the Juhu police station. Shahani used to run a free8217; legal aid-n-advice clinic from one of thegalas.

Interestingly, the north-west control had received an anonymous call on May 16 which said Shahani would be killed the next morning. The control alerted the Khar police station and on the same night Sub-inspector Vijay Belage of Khar police was sent to Shahani8217;s 10th Road residence.

The lawyer, however, did not like the police visiting his house late in the night and he sent the officer away saying that he perceived no threat to his life.

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Shahani, 45, had practised in various city courts for around two decades. In December 1995, he was appointed as an assistant government pleader, earlier for the Appellate side and lately for the Original side. Of late, however, Shahani appeared very rarely in the Bombay High Court as he was preoccupied with looking after a family member who was not keeping well.

Shahani8217;s killing is the 40th such shootout executed by the mafia in less than five months.