On May 3, 2010, a Mumbai Sessions Court acquitted Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, accused of providing maps to the 26/11 attackers. The judgment noted, “the prosecution had no credible evidence.” When the verdict was announced, Fahim and Sabahuddin looked around—there were family members and supporters, but the lawyer was missing.
Shahid Azmi, the lawyer who had fought for them, had been murdered three months earlier.
A Life Shaped by Injustice
Born in 1977 in Mumbai’s Govandi, Shahid Azmi’s life was shaped by his experiences. The 1992 riots that followed the demolition of the Babri Masjid led to the isolation of many young Muslim men, and Shahid was among them. At just 15, he was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), accused of plotting against the state.
In jail, he met political prisoners and ex-militants, sharing cells with those accused in Kashmir and Mumbai-related cases. He realized that many were being held without trial, tortured into confessions, or convicted on flimsy evidence. It was there that he made a vow: “If I survive, I will become a lawyer.”
After his release in 1999, he worked as a journalist before studying law. By 2003, he was a practicing lawyer, determined to defend those falsely accused under anti-terror laws. “I do not fight terrorism. I fight injustice,” he would say.
His office in Mumbai’s Taximen Colony became a refuge for families of the accused. He worked tirelessly, often not charging fees. He challenged the misuse of POTA, MCOCA, and later UAPA, exposing fabricated confessions, police brutality, and systemic bias. In just seven years, he secured 17 acquittals in major terror cases—a feat few could match.
A Life Stolen, A Future Denied
Fahim Ansari, a resident of Goregaon, had worked in Dubai before moving to Pakistan, where he was arrested in 2008. He was handed over to India and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), facing a possible death sentence. His mother once said, “My son was taken away just like that. We had no money for a lawyer.”
Another of Shahid’s clients, Arif Paanwala, was arrested in 2002 for the Ghatkopar blast under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA). He spent six years in jail before being acquitted in 2008. His case was one of many that contributed to the eventual repeal of POTA.
Murtuza Chauhan, a 20-year-old accused under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) for an alleged terror plot. After his acquittal in 2009, his father said, “Our neighbors stopped talking to us. We couldn’t even find work. No one cared whether Murtuza was guilty or innocent—except Shahid.”
For them, and many others, Shahid was not just a lawyer—he was their last hope.
His legal battles made him many enemies. He received repeated threats and was warned to drop cases. But he refused. “Fear is not for those who fight for justice,” he once told his brother Khalid.
On February 11, 2010, two gunmen entered his office in Mumbai and shot him. He was just 32.
His killing sent shockwaves across India. Journalists, activists, and lawyers condemned the murder, linking it to his work in exposing police excesses in terror trials. Many believed it was a chilling message—those who question the state’s narrative will be silenced.
A Legacy That Lives On
After his murder, his family struggled to find a lawyer to fight his case. Eventually, his brother Khalid took up law himself. Today, he continues Shahid’s work, defending those accused under UAPA.
The case against his killers remains slow. One of the accused is out on bail. Justice, as Shahid knew too well, is often delayed.
But his work did not die with him. Inspired by his courage, a new generation of lawyers has stepped up to challenge wrongful detentions and the misuse of terror laws. “He sowed the seeds and watered them. Now the tree has grown, but he is not here to see it,” Khalid reflects.
Shahid Azmi was silenced, but his fight lives on.
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
- News Deskhttps://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/author/kashmiriyat/
