Celebrated criminal trial lawyer Shrikant Shivade passes away

Criminal lawyer Shrikant Shivade, who had appeared for noted celebrities in a slew of high-profile trials, passed away this morning in Pune. He was 67.

Shivade had been diagnosed with leukaemia (blood cancer). While his treatment was going on, he still continued to appear in cases in Mumbai and Pune.

He had represented celebrities like Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case during his trial in the Sessions Court. He also appeared for actor Shiney Ahuja who had been booked in a rape case in 2009.

He had appeared for diamond merchant Bharat Shah in the Bollywood-underworld nexus case in 2001, and two accused in the 2G spectrum cases.

Shivade had also represented Peter Mukerjea, who was accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

Most recently, Shivade had reduced his appearances in light of his prolonged illness. However, he continued to appear in the Malegaon trial of 2008 where he represented Lieutenant Colonel Prasad Purohit, one of the accused in the case. He appeared for Purohit in the trial courts as well as for proceedings in the High Court.

Shivade was a graduate from the Indian Law Society (ILS) law school, Pune and started practicing law from 1985. He did his graduation from Elphinstone College, Mumbai, before studying law.

Shivade is survived by his wife, mother and children.