# Aniket Nikam
**Aniket Ujjwal Nikam** is an Indian criminal advocate who practises at the [Bombay High Court](https://www.edgepedia.org/bombay-high-court) and the [Supreme Court of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/supreme-court-of-india), working mainly in criminal defense, bail, and economic-offense matters, and who founded the Nyay Vishwas Foundation, a free legal-aid charity based in Jalgaon, Maharashtra.[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team) He is the son of [Ujjwal Nikam](https://www.edgepedia.org/ujjwal-nikam), the public prosecutor known for cases including the 26/11 attacks trial of Ajmal Kasab, the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts case, and the Pramod Mahajan murder trial.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/mumbai/nikam-junior-to-represent-mod/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Aniket Ujjwal Nikam[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team) |
| Courts of practice | Bombay High Court and Supreme Court of India[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team) |
| Education | B.L.S. degree from Mumbai; LL.M. from New York University[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team) |
| Started practicing | 2008[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/mumbai/nikam-junior-to-represent-mod/) |
| Main practice areas | Criminal defense, bail, and economic-offense matters[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team) |
| Early public role | Junior counsel for the Ministry of Defence before the Adarsh Housing Society commission of inquiry, 2011[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/mumbai/nikam-junior-to-represent-mod/) |
| Non-profit | Founder, Nyay Vishwas Foundation (Section 8 company, incorporated 28 July 2026)[3](https://nyayvishwas.com/about) |
| Chambers | Office No. 206, Veena Chambers, Dalal Street, Fort, Mumbai[4](https://nyayvishwas.com/) |
## Background and education
Nikam grew up in Jalgaon, in northern [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra), into a legal family: his father Ujjwal Nikam became one of the state's best-known public prosecutors, and a Suryadatta Law College publication describes the family as Marathi-speaking with a grandfather who was a barrister and judge.[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team) • [5](https://sgislc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SLC-Law-Brochure-2024.pdf) He holds a B.L.S. (Bachelor of Legal Studies) degree from Mumbai and an LL.M. from New York University.[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team)
## Legal career
Nikam has practiced law since 2008.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/mumbai/nikam-junior-to-represent-mod/) His first widely reported appointment came in June 2011, when Additional Solicitor-General Darius Khambata appointed him to represent the Ministry of Defence before the commission investigating the Adarsh Housing Society scam, as junior counsel to senior lawyer [Ashutosh Rana](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashutosh-rana), with Dhiren Shah continuing as lawyer on record.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/mumbai/nikam-junior-to-represent-mod/)
His own practice is centered on criminal defense, bail, and economic-offense matters.[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team) Court-record aggregators list him in hundreds of Bombay High Court filings, dominated by bail applications, anticipatory bail applications, writ petitions, and criminal appeals; the eCourtsIndia profile for Aniket Nikam records 759 disposed and 205 pending matters at the Bombay High Court's Mumbai bench at the time of indexing.[6](https://ecourtsindia.com/lawyer/aniket-nikam) Reported appearances include a 2025 Bombay High Court criminal appeal in which he argued for an appellant convicted of a firearm murder, pointing to contradictions between the injured eyewitness's investigation-stage statement and trial testimony, a disbelieved pistol recovery, a negative ballistic report, and clothing examination showing no bullet holes.[7](https://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/generatenewauth.php?bhcpar=cGF0aD0uL3dyaXRlcmVhZGRhdGEvZGF0YS9qdWRnZW1lbnRzLzIwMjUvJmZuYW1lPTIzMTAwMDAwMTgxMjAyMV80My5wZGYmc21mbGFnPU4mcmp1ZGRhdGU9JnVwbG9hZGR0PTAyLzEyLzIwMjUmc3Bhc3NwaHJhc2U9MDMxMjI1MTQ0NTQ0Jm5jaXRhdGlvbj0yMDI1OkJIQy1BUzo1MjM4Ny1EQiZzbWNpdGF0aW9uPSZkaWdjZXJ0ZmxnPVkmaW50ZXJmYWNlPU8%3D) In a May 2026 anticipatory bail matter before the Bombay High Court, *Aniket Sushil Kadam v. State of Maharashtra*, he appeared for the applicant and argued that a 2017 land-transaction dispute was civil in nature and that custodial interrogation was unnecessary.[8](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/107197605/)
He also appears in commentary roles in the press; a *Sunday Times of India* feature on children's testimony in Indian courts quoted him noting that very young children are not expected to remember everything.[9](https://jammuuniversity.ac.in/sites/default/files/inline-files/All%20English%20Editorial%204--5.pdf)
## Nyay Vishwas Foundation
Nikam founded the Nyay Vishwas Foundation, a not-for-profit based in Jalgaon that helps people understand legal problems they already face. The Foundation's work stops at guidance: volunteers listen to a matter, review available papers, and explain the person's position and next steps, without accepting cases or representing anyone.[3](https://nyayvishwas.com/about) Its main activities are Nyay Shibirs, free legal-aid camps held roughly every two months across Maharashtra, and enquiries received by phone, WhatsApp, or the website, all without fee.[3](https://nyayvishwas.com/about)
The Foundation is registered under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013 as a company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 28 July 2026 (CIN U88900MH2026NPL474062), with its registered office at Worli Colony, Mumbai, and a Jalgaon office at Ramdas Colony near Barrister Nikam Chowk.[3](https://nyayvishwas.com/about) • [4](https://nyayvishwas.com/) It is run by a board of directors with Nikam as founder, and a panel of seven Jalgaon advocates staffs the camps and desks alongside their own practices.[3](https://nyayvishwas.com/about) • [1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team) The Foundation states that it is separate from Nikam's professional practice, which is conducted from his Mumbai chambers and is not routed through the Foundation.[1](https://nyayvishwas.com/team)
## References
1. [Team & Panel of Advocates, Nyay Vishwas Foundation](https://nyayvishwas.com/team)
2. [Nikam Junior to represent MoD, The Indian Express (27 June 2011)](https://indianexpress.com/article/mumbai/nikam-junior-to-represent-mod/)
3. [About the Foundation, Nyay Vishwas Foundation](https://nyayvishwas.com/about)
4. [Nyay Vishwas Foundation, contact page](https://nyayvishwas.com/)
5. [Suryadatta Law College brochure (2024), Hall of Fame](https://sgislc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/SLC-Law-Brochure-2024.pdf)
6. [Advocate Aniket Nikam, eCourtsIndia lawyer profile](https://ecourtsindia.com/lawyer/aniket-nikam)
7. [Bombay High Court judgment, Criminal Appeal No. 189 of 2021 (2025:BHC-AS:52387-DB)](https://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/generatenewauth.php?bhcpar=cGF0aD0uL3dyaXRlcmVhZGRhdGEvZGF0YS9qdWRnZW1lbnRzLzIwMjUvJmZuYW1lPTIzMTAwMDAwMTgxMjAyMV80My5wZGYmc21mbGFnPU4mcmp1ZGRhdGU9JnVwbG9hZGR0PTAyLzEyLzIwMjUmc3Bhc3NwaHJhc2U9MDMxMjI1MTQ0NTQ0Jm5jaXRhdGlvbj0yMDI1OkJIQy1BUzo1MjM4Ny1EQiZzbWNpdGF0aW9uPSZkaWdjZXJ0ZmxnPVkmaW50ZXJmYWNlPU8%3D)
8. [Aniket Sushil Kadam v. State of Maharashtra, Bombay High Court, 21 May 2026, Indian Kanoon](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/107197605/)
9. [Sunday Times of India editorial pages compilation, University of Jammu archive](https://jammuuniversity.ac.in/sites/default/files/inline-files/All%20English%20Editorial%204--5.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › Practising lawyers and advocates › Specialist practice and other careers in law › Criminal defense lawyers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license