Lailas father writes to Patil against Nikam appointment

A week after the Mumbai Police Crime Branch sought the appointment of lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as special public prosecutor in the trial of the two accused of killing Bollywood starlet Laila Khan and five of her family members,Khans father Nadir Patel on Saturday wrote to Home Minister R R Patil raising objections to his appointment.

In a letter,sent through his lawyer Ejaz Naqvi,Patel stated that Nikam had been unsuccessful in a number of high-profile cases,including the acquittal of accused Faheem Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed,tried alongside Pakistani terrorist Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab in the 26/11 terror attack,and the recent acquittal of four accused of kidnapping and murdering 16-year-old Adnan Patrawala in 2007.

Patel,who has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a CBI probe into the case,also sought the removal of negligent officers of the Mumbai Police who have portrayed his family as terrorists.

The Crime Branch had recommended Nikam as he has been the prosecutor in several cases probed by the Crime Branch. However,Patel,in his letter,alleged that the appointment of Nikam was being made to favour him. Patel said Nikams integrity is also not beyond questioning and he had allegedly earned a huge sum of money during the 26/11 trial.