NITIN PRADHAN

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18 accused in 1993 blast case angry over defence lawyer's exit SEP 18, 2006 Mumbai, Sept 18 (PTI) Eighteen accused in the 1993 bomb blast case have dashed off a letter to defence lawyer Nitin Pradhan expressing their anguish over his withdrawal from the case at the fag end, when the verdict was being delivered. Pradhan had recently withdrawn from the 1993 blasts case in view of the disappointing response of the Muslim community to the various terrorist attacks across the country in the past. According to Pradhan, he had earlier agreed to defend 18 accused in 1993 bomb blast case on a request made by Muslim leaders. However, these leaders did not come forward to express solidarity with the victims of the acts of terrorism, he said, particularly referring to the July 11 blasts. "I feel let down by the community's response. Therefore I would neither defend accused in 1993 case, nor would I represent anybody in connection with the July 11 blasts," Pradhan had told a section of the media earlier. In a sharp reaction to his gesture, the accused described him as "a combination of Shylock and Brutus" -- characters drawn from Shakespeare's plays. They demanded that Pradhan return the fees taken by him from their relatives and dismissed his claims that Muslim leaders had approached him to defend them. It was also not true that Muslim leaders had not condemned July 11 blasts, the letter said. "A terrorist knows no religion and to call terrorists our co-religionists is absolutely wrong. Neither Hinduism nor Islam or any other religion teaches or encourages terrorism," they said. FILED ON: SEP 18, 2006 23:47 IST ---------------------------------------------------- http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2006-09-12/mumbai/27810128_1_train-blasts-asgar-mukadam-bomb Accused drop letter bomb Swati Deshpande, TNN Sep 12, 2006, MUMBAI: Nitin Pradhan, counsel for 18 of the accused in the 1993 blasts, said he was withdrawing from the job two months back. He was disillusioned with the minority community after this July's train blasts, he explained; the frequency of terrorist attacks over the last decade and the lack of condemnation from community leaders had left him disappointed and he felt unable to discharge his duty as their lawyer. His former clients, including Asgar Mukadam and Shoeb Ghansar (charged with planting bombs), have now struck back with an 11-page letter expressing their anger and hurt at being "dropped like a hot brick". Calling Pradhan "a combination of Shylock and Brutus", the letter accuses him of failing to rise above religion. Pradhan had said Muslim fundamentalists were attacking more and more Hindus and, that he if continued as lawyer for those of accused of terrorism, the message going out would be that legal services were available "at the drop of a bomb". Accusing Pradhan of using "hypocrisy, treachery and dishonesty", the letter adds he has pauperised their relatives. It rounds off with telling Pradhan that if he has "even a drop of blood in (his) thick veins containing the grace and dignity of a human being, (he) will return all the fees"... ... Also, if Pradhan was so ashamed of his Muslim clients, why was he still defending Abu Salem? Pradhan, in response, told TOI on Monday the letter seemed to have been drafted by a lawyer ("most the accused are not so educated") holding a grudge against him. Pradhan, in his letter dated 14 July, said he argued to get the anti-national charge of Section 121 of "waging war against the nation" dropped as he felt the blasts were a retaliation against the Babri Masjid demolition and riots that followed. But the accused say the dropping of Section 121 was only a ruse to win their now-betrayed confidence. The letter — in florid, overwrought English — also blames the government for ignoring the Srikrishna Commissions findings after the 1993 riots and moves to issues facing the community across the world from Iraq to Lebanon. ========================= http://news.oneindia.in/2006/07/17/mumbai-lawyers-decide-against-defending-711-blasts-guilty-1153146909.html Mumbai lawyers decide against defending 7/11 blasts guilty 17july 2006 17, Mumbai, July 17 (UNI) Some criminal lawyers here have decided against representing the accused in the 7/11 serial blasts case if they are not fully satisfied about their innocence. There, however, have been no arrests made so far in the serial blasts case. The lawyers have, however, taken umbrage at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray who has reportedly warned them against taking up the case of the accused. Mr Thackeray reportedly issued the warning yesterday during a public meeting in Dadar. ''Why should Mr Thackeray dictate to us as to which case we should take up,'' senior criminal lawyer Ashok Sarogi asked. But, he informed that some criminal lawyers had held a private meeting yesterday and decided that unless they were satisfied that the accused people arrested are innocent, they will not defend them. Taking strong exception to Mr Thackeray's warning, Mr Sarogi told UNI, ''We are also citizens of this country. And, we are not accountable to him (Mr Thackeray). We are only answerable to the Bar Council.'' Among the senior criminal lawyers who have decided not to take up 7/11 blast accused cases unless satisfied that they were innocent are Ashok Mundargi, Nitin Pradhan, Shirish Gupte, Manjula Rao, and Subhash Jha. Adv Pradhan also withdrew his name from representing the eighteen 1993-serial bomb-blast accused. He has already communicated to the TADA Court to allow him to withdraw his representation as the evidence to prove them guilty was presented and he did not believe in defending the guilty.